Taking Your Chances
by LaVieSansAmour
Summary: Anamaria glared up at Jack from the Caribbean waters.
1. Sulking and Choking

Wow my first story. I'm rather excited. I hope that you like it, and if you review, thank you a lot, I can use all the help.  
  
***Sorry for the spelling of Anamaria's name, but I fixed it now, so everything is okay.  
  
Before I start, let me remind you I don't own any of the characters, settings, and so on in Pirates of the Caribbean, except for the ones I make up...sooner or later. I am not getting paid for this either, it is pure pleasure.  
  
ENJOY! _______________________________________________________________________  
  
Taking Your Chances  
  
Sulking and Choking  
  
Anamaria hunched over her rum, as though protecting it from some unknown enemy. She hated taverns; she hated the nasty catcalls, and most of all she hated disgusting, slobbering pigs like Jack Sparrow.  
  
Leaving her on some god-forsaken island with nothing but one bottle of rum, for saying his precious Pearl seemed to be getting older. It is not like she had meant it, she just wanted to tick him off for walking in on her this morning. It seemed to have worked rather well.  
  
Flashback ____________________________________________________________________  
  
Jack peeked around the corner of the ship, making sure no one was there. He tiptoed towards Anamaria's room barefooted as not to make any noise. He didn't want to imagine what would happen if she caught him, or how quickly she would kill him for that matter.  
  
When he reached the door, it was cracked open, odd. So still being as quiet as possible he inched the door open a little farther. Jack nearly fainted at the sight he had been so lucky as to interrupt.  
  
Anamaria had her back to him, but her shirt was off, and only her doe-brown breeches covered her dark chocolate body. Not wanting to die for the spectacular sight, Jack backed away from the door. He stopped when he heard the soft humming of his favorite song.  
  
Without thinking Jack blurted out, "I thought you said you hated that song, luv?"  
  
Anamaria whirled around so fast, Jack didn't have any chance of getting out of the doorway before she caught with a slap from the left that sent him to the ground. Then seeming to just notice her clothes or there-lack of clothes, she slammed the door inches from his nose and leaned heavily on it.  
  
Jack who seemed to just have come to his senses, grinned stupidly at the wooden door, gathered himself and went to steer his true love.  
  
End Flashback _______________________________________________________________________  
  
Anamaria finished her rum and motioned to the stupid flirty girl that she wanted another. The girl simply glanced at her unimportantly and kept sitting on the ugly man's lap who she had been flirting with noisily. Anamaria sighed, deciding it wasn't worth it. She already had 3 empty glasses in front of her, and she wasn't dumb, she knew her own limits.  
  
Getting up, she set a few coins on the table and walked out of the tavern, finally free from the stench of too many ugly pirate men.  
  
As she walked down the streets, she purposely turned on a dark alley pretending to lose her way. She could hear the idiot following her oh so quietly, as he thought. She needed some exercise anyways and she hoped that he was sober enough to put up at least some kind of decent fight. Anamaria stopped and turned slowly, as not to look too excited at the opportunity of being jumped. The guy was bigger than she had expected, nothing for her to worry about, though. He grinned, or at least tried to, but his face was so ugly it looked more like sneer. She put on an innocent, what she hoped looked like a frightened face as he approached her.  
  
The first blow came unexpectedly to her stomach, taking her breath right from her. This guy was a lot faster than she had expected. She thought with his size she would have the advantage with speed.  
  
Now she was starting to worry, the second hit came from his right-hook and made her see stars before she fell hard onto the ground. She could barely see because of the blood that seemed to be blocking her left eye. Her ears were ringing and she felt dizzy even though she was lying on the ground.  
  
Anamaria was starting to think that the turn into the alley was a bad idea. Now no one could see her, not that anyone in Tortuga would want to help, but Jack wouldn't be able to find her. Though she doubted he even wanted to after the events on his ship this afternoon.  
  
Flashback _____________________________________________________________________  
  
Anamaria was fuming, Jack had no right to peek in on her like that, even if the door was cracked. Now he was going to regret it more than he would know. She had planned out the perfect thing to get him almost as mad as she was, and embarrass him like no other.  
  
Anamaria put on a calm and collected face before stepping above deck into the brilliant sunlight. As her eyes adjusted she found Gibbs leaning over the railing staring into the calm deep blue waters.  
  
"Gibbs, I need you to help me out." Anamaria told him as she sauntered over. After telling him her plan and almost forcing him to agree with it, he went off to tell the others.  
  
Anamaria grinned wickedly at his retreating back and made her way to the crow's nest. She avoided making any eye contact with Jack for the fear of laughing in his face at her new plan, or punching him for this morning.  
  
Jack watched Anamaria climb up the rigging into the crow's nest, thinking he had won the game.  
  
About half an hour later Anamaria screamed from the top of the rigging, "Sails ahead, Captain!"  
  
"What? What flag do they have up?" Jack shouted back.  
  
"Can't be sure Captain, in fact I don't see any at all," Anamaria answered. "I think it is a merchant vessel."  
  
"Really, well goody boys...and girl," he added as an afterthought, glancing at Anamaria. "Let's catch up!"  
  
Everyone that had been listening dispersed to their jobs, making sure to look like they were working diligently, yet not working at all.  
  
"Captain, they are getting farther away." Anamaria stated loud enough to be heard from her height.  
  
"What? Bloody hell no! Come on you scabberdoggs work harder." Jack screamed, he had never been so frustrated. The men looked like they were working with all there might, and yet the Black Pearl seemed to be barely moving.  
  
Anamaria had climbed down from the rigging and was now gleefully making her way to Jack. "Captain maybe the Pearl's just getting to old."  
  
"What are you talking about the Pearl is the same age as me," Jack snarled, completely missing the snickers from the men around him.  
  
"Exactly," Anamaria choked out before she was joined in round of huge laughs from the whole crew.  
  
Gibbs being the only one able to control his mirth explained to the Captain that there was no ship, that Anamaria had put them all up to a little prank. Jack usually would have joined in with the laughs, if it hadn't have been for the fact that they had made fun of his precious Pearl.  
  
"Anamaria, luv, come here," Jack called sweetly.  
  
Anamaria approached him suspiciously, "What?"  
  
Jack smiled, and lifted her over his shoulder, carrying her to the railing of the Black Pearl.  
  
"What do you think you are doing, you dirty, little, pig-headed...?" Anamaria screamed from upside down behind him.  
  
The crew stared in awe as Jack simply dropped her into the Caribbean waters. She screamed until she reached the salty water and ended up swallowing a whole mouthful. She came up to the surface sputtering just in time to hear Jack call down to her. "Since you're down there, I suggest you swim to that island, o'er yonder and dry up. See you in Tortuga in a few days, luv."  
  
Anamaria screamed up at him. "You bastard, you wouldn't dare leave me in these waters by myself."  
  
Jack turned, "You're right" He disappeared for a moment and came back with a large sized bottle of rum. "Here this should keep you company!" He laughed and chunked the bottle towards her.  
  
End Flashback ______________________________________________________________________ The large man was now leaning over her grinning, at the prize he had won. Anamaria groaned and he laughed at her weakened state. The blow she had caught to the side of her head was really making things hard for her.  
  
Still grinning like an idiot, the huge oaf reached for Anamaria's hair, and yanked a few strands out. Anamaria's eyes flew open and she screamed like the devil was after her. The pain from the side of her head increased as she tried to scoot away.  
  
The man seemed not to notice any of this, for he was staring at her hair intently like it was something edible. He leaned forward again, this time however instead of his hands going for her hair, they wrapped themselves around her neck and started to squeeze, gently at first, but then harder and harder.  
  
Anamaria choked and squirmed, but her head was pounding louder with every move she made. Then before she knew her vision started to get darker, whether from the man choking her, or her head bleeding profusely she didn't know, nor did she have time to think about it. Her vision went black.  
  
____________________________________________________________________  
  
I finished my first chapter!! Yeah! Thank you for reading, and it would be greatly appreciated if you review it. Thanks! -Rachel 


	2. Growling and Praying

I actually got some reviews. Thank you for the compliments. I'm learning fast on how to write better. I'm still kind of confused on how to add chapters. This one took me a while. Not to write, but I couldn't figure out how to add it for the longest time. If anyone can tell me how to do that, I would be much obliged. (  
  
Before I start, let me remind you I don't own any of the characters, settings, and so on in Pirates of the Caribbean, except for the ones I make up...sooner or later. I am not getting paid for this either, it is pure pleasure.  
  
Enjoy ______________________________________________________________________  
  
Taking Your Chances  
  
Growling and Praying  
  
Jack was running faster than he ever had in his life. He had heard the scream, which he knew came from Anamaria's mouth. How he knew it, he wished he himself knew, but as soon as it rang in his ears Jack was sure it was Anamaria's.  
  
He was frightened for one of the first times in his life. Not just because if something happened to her, his guilt would overcome him, but some part of him wouldn't be able to bare it if Anamaria was hurt. He usually shoved this feeling, or whatever it was deep down, hidden inside of him. This time was different, it seemed like it was helping Jack find his way to Anamaria.  
  
When he had left her near the island, he thought that after a few hours he would swing by and pick her up. Instead it seemed that in only 2 hours of being stranded, she had escaped the island and was probably on her way to Tortuga. Now, at least he knew she was in Tortuga.  
  
As Jack pealed around another corner, sprinting down the street, his braids clinking together like the tick tock of a clock. Jack flew by houses, making them seem like blurs, until he reached a dark alley, the feeling that seemed to be haunting him told him to go down it.  
  
Jack slowed his pace enough to catch his breath incase there was more than one brute he might have to fight in order to save Annamaria. What Jack saw was a man on top of Anamaria, practically choking the life from her. Her eyes were closed but Jack could tell she was still alive.  
  
The man had yet to see Jack behind him, and Jack's eyes were burning like the furies of hell into the back of the large man's unfortunately shaped head. Before Jack could calm himself, enough to be reasonable, he leaped for the man and tackled him, pinning him to the ground.  
  
That didn't last long, as the man gave a roar and shoved Jack back, hard. Jack flew through the air and hit the side of a house with an audible crack. As he stood again, shaking his head to get rid of the butterflies that seemed to be dancing within his line of vision. Jack let out what sounded like a menacing dog growl and pulled out the dagger, William had given him on his last visit to Port Royal.  
  
This time the man was the first one to make a move. He lifted his arms as if he were trying to hug Jack. Confused Jack stepped back just in time to move out of the way of his giant arms coming down and smashing into the pavement. Suddenly Jack realized that this man was not some drunken pirate who was just looking to fight someone. No, whatever this man was, he was trained to kill.  
  
The last move that the man had done however had given Jack an idea. "Come on you bloody oaf, betcha couldn't hit me with that move, even if I stood still." Jack prodded.  
  
The man let out an enraged sound and lifted his arms high above Jack's head. That's when Jack took action, he ran full faced into the man, his head only reaching a little below his chest area, and impelling the dagger into the man's stomach.  
  
Not a fatal wound, Jack knew, but it heart like hell. Breathing hard the man fell to his knees moaning, gripping the dagger, contemplating on whether or not he should take it out.  
  
Jack sauntered with his usual sag over to the man, "It would be better to take it out, so it doesn't cause anymore damage, mate."  
  
The man glanced at Jack, and then believing what Jack had told him, grabbed the dagger preparing himself take it out. Jack's hand however stopped him. Jack had placed his hand parallel to the man's chest, holding the dagger in.  
  
"I told you it would be better to take it out, but it doesn't mean, I'm going to let you. At least not without a price," Jack smiled sardonically.  
  
"What do you want then?" The man gasped.  
  
"Lets see...hmm..."  
  
"Hurry up, what do you want to know?" The man was wheezing now.  
  
"Well sense you used your time to try to kill my friend, I figured you wouldn't mind waiting." Jack snarled. "I want to know your name, first."  
  
"It is Colom Brian, but most know me as The Giant."  
  
"The giant. It is truly amazing how they come up with those names, huh?" Jack replied. "Who do you work for Mr. Brian?"  
  
"I don't know" Colom answered.  
  
"You don't know, well that's rich." Jack laughed. "The Giant doesn't know who he works for."  
  
"Look I'm just paid though letters, and my directions of whom I am to kill are usually with my payment. That's all I do."  
  
"Alright them Mr. Brian, you go back to wherever you came from, wait for your little note and payment, and then when you get it, you come back and deliver it to me, savvy?" Jack grinned at the use of his favorite word.  
  
"S...sure. But where will I know to meet you?" Colom stuttered.  
  
"Ah well lucky for you, I'm in town on other business, so you can meet me on my ship. The Black Pearl."  
  
"The Black Pearl? You're Jack Sparrow? The infamous Jack Sparrow?" Colom's mouth flapped up and down like a fish without water.  
  
"Aye, and don't forget what I told you, bring the letter to me unopened." Jack demanded.  
  
"Can I take the dagger out now Mr. Sparrow?"  
  
"What? Oh yes, fine. I will be needing it back anyway." Jack gripped the dagger and yanked it out of the man. He screamed high-pitched, which sounded odd from a man nicknamed for a giant. "Now if you'll leave I have some things to attend to." He glanced at Anamaria lying on the cool pavement. "Oh, and Mr. Brian..."  
  
"Yeah?" Colom questioned.  
  
"It's Captain. The infamous Captain Jack Sparrow."  
  
Colom nodded, then staggered to a standing position and used the wall to support himself out of the alley and back on to the dimly lit streets of Tortuga.  
  
Jack watched him go, and then turned to kneel beside Anamaria. She seemed almost pale from the faint glow of the streetlamps, finding their way into the dark alley. Jack leaned down softly to pick her up, not like he had earlier today on the Pearl. He didn't throw her over one shoulder as she screamed and kicked. Instead he gently lifted her from the ground like he was carrying a babe.  
  
She made a soft noise, that Jack would have never expected coming from her. It was almost like a whimpering of a small-lost puppy. Jack figured with her in this state, and his head not feeling well after the crack it had given when Colom threw him into the brick wall, it would be a better idea if he rented a place for them to sleep.  
  
So Jack walked to the nearest inn he could find, that didn't have drunks and whores falling out of windows. It was not easy to find such an inn, especially while carrying an unconscious woman in his arms. The great thing about Tortuga, however, was no one ever gave you a bad look, no matter how weird things might appear to be.  
  
Jack sighed at the sight of the small, hopefully cheap inn in which he stood in front of. He glanced at Anamaria's face and started walking, without his usual staggering of course, for the fear he might drop Anamaria.  
  
When Jack had paid for the room, he carried Anamaria into it and set her onto the bed. He glanced around for some kind of rag to wipe the blood away from her face. However, the room was barren, so he untied the bandanna from around his forehead. He stared at it for a second, then started to gently wipe the blood from her face and matted hair. She groaned slightly as the bandanna touched on the gash that ran along her hairline.  
  
When Jack finished, he glanced around again, this time searching for anything he could use to rap around her head to stop the blood from running down her sleeping face. He came up empty again, so he ripped off a portion of his sleeve. Jack wrapped it around Anamaria's head, and then turned to set his won hat and now bloody bandanna on the only piece of furniture in the room aside form the bed. Finally, he tucked her in, like how he remembered his mother used to when he was young.  
  
As he lay down beside her on the tight little bed he hummed the only tune he could remember. The song Elizabeth had taught him on the island. The song he heard Annamaria humming to herself this morning. He really did need to find out the bloody name, but for now he just called it 'The Really Bad Eggs Song'.  
  
So as Jack hummed 'The Really Bad Eggs Song' he prayed to no one in particular, that Annamaria would be all right come morning. That the stupid giant, would remember his promise, and Jack would find out who was behind this. And finally Jack prayed as he lay beside Anamaria that if she woke before him, she would not kill him without letting him at least try to explain.  
  
Hollaiuar: I'm glad you like my story, and I updated as soon as possible for you. Hope you like this chapter as well. Thanks a bunch!  
  
Kazfuego: I'm glad you like the way I narrate stuff. It is kinda different, I know. But I guess that is just me. So here is an update for you too. Hope you like this chapter as much as the other one. (  
  
Amber Myst: Many, many, many thanks for helping me with Anamaria's name, and I didn't even know that I was blocking anonymous reviews. Thank you for telling me. Thanks for reading it! Ta...  
  
Thanks to my reviewers, I hope to get more of you soon! But thanks for reading my story regardless. -Rachel 


	3. Falling and Staring

Many thanks to my reviewers, you guys are so cool. Wow I feel so special, I thought no one would ever review, but it seems I'm very wrong! I got this one out a little slower than last time, but though it may not seem like it I do have a life (not a very exciting one). Anyways, I hope you like it as always.  
  
Before I start, let me remind you I don't own any of the characters, settings, and so on in Pirates of the Caribbean, except for the ones I make up...sooner or later. I am not getting paid for this either, it is pure pleasure.  
  
Enjoy  
  
___________________________________________________________  
  
Taking Your Chances  
  
Falling and Staring  
  
Anamaria's eyes fluttered, as she moaned and rolled onto her right side. She felt stiff all over, and her head was pounding like the rolling drums before some pirate loses their life to the noose.  
  
Moaning again, Anamaria opened her eyes, waiting a moment for any blurred objects to come into focus. The only thing she saw was white, not a clean white, but a dirty stained white. She reached up to her head, and realized someone had wrapped a dirty white cloth around her head, and over her chocolate eyes.  
  
She pushed it out of the way to see what any woman would have squealed with delight to gaze upon. Not Anamaria though, in fact she tried to flip over onto her other side so fast, she went flying off the end of the bed. She flopped on the floor with a loud bump, and the wood underneath her gave a loud creak.  
  
Anamaria held her breath hoping that the floor was just old and not about to break. After a minute, she let out the soft breath. She glanced at the bed and gave it a long hard scowl, as if it were the one that had pushed her onto the floor.  
  
As she gathered herself from the floor she kneeled next to the bed and peeked her head above it. Jack Sparrow was sprawled out, stomach down, with his face turned towards Anamaria. He had his mouth open like he was waiting to collect something in it. "Probably rum," she snorted.  
  
Jack was breathing in and out slowly and evenly, a sure sign that he was somewhere off in his dreams. Sighing, Anamaria climbed into the bed quietly, trying her best not to disturb him.  
  
She glanced around the shabby room that she guessed was part of an inn. There was all but 2 pieces of furniture in the whole room. The bed that she lay on next to Jack, and a small dresser that seemed to be missing every drawer. On top of the dresser, there was a sad looking candle, which looked to only be able to last all of 5 minutes.  
  
Next to the candle, Anamaria saw Jack's hat and his bandanna that he usually wore around his head. It wasn't how she remembered it. The color was now a brilliant red, and not the worn out rusty red. As Anamaria peered at it from across the room, she realized it was blood.  
  
All the events of the past days came rushing back to her at once. The morning, Jack walking in on her while she still had her shirt off. The afternoon, the joke she played on Jack that caused him to throw her off the Black Pearl. And then last night, before she blacked out, when the huge man's nasty hands were around her neck gripping it tighter with every second.  
  
Anamaria shivered, then stopped it immediately as it had come. She didn't want to appear weak before Jack, even if he was still sleeping. Although she realized that she wouldn't be here if Jack hadn't found her last night.  
  
She hated that he must have found her lying there in a dark alley like some helpless wench of Tortuga. She hated that he must have had to carry her into this hole in the wall. She hated that he had to clean her up with his bandanna, and wrap her head like some patient. But most of all she hated that she kept wishing she had been awake so that she could have felt his hands, every time he touched her.  
  
Anamaria glanced over her shoulder at Jack who had shifted so now his hair, no longer held back by the bandanna, was covering his closed eyes. Not thinking, she leaned over and brushed the strands from his face, smiling slightly at his peaceful look.  
  
"Thanks luv, I would have had a hard time of it by myself, I think my arm is asleep." Jack grinned, his eyes still closed.  
  
Anamaria nearly fell off the bed again, but was caught when Jack's arm wrapped itself around her. He smirked at the obvious position they were in.  
  
His arm was tightly secured around her waist, his other arm holding himself up on the bed. He was grinning like an idiot as he glanced down at their legs. Anamaria, in the midst falling had instinctively wrapped her legs around the closest non-moving object, which happened to be Jack's legs.  
  
She blushed, hoping Jack couldn't tell with her dark skin. Wanting to get out of this way to comfortable position she said the first thing that came to mind, "I thought your arm was asleep?"  
  
Jack stopped smiling for a moment, "Oh yeah..." He grinned and let go.  
  
Anamaria went tumbling off the side of the bed, and hit the floor with a loud crack. She never came up again because the floor gave out and she felt herself falling downward amongst the various wood pieces that were supposed to have held her up.  
  
She landed on the floor under them, right on top of the bed. Stunned Anamaria glanced up in time to see Jack's very confused face peering over the edge of the bed. He looked worried at first, but when he saw the flustered Anamaria staring up at him from the lower floor, he started to laugh. Anamaria showed him a not so polite gesture with her hand.  
  
"Umm... excuse me," Anamaria turned to see a young lady leaning against a dresser in the corner of the new room. "May I ask what in the hell is going on?"  
  
"Sorry to drop in on you like this," Anamaria stuttered. "I should probably just pick this up and... don't worry I'll be gone in a second." Jack's snort was heard from above as Anamaria turned on the bed into a kneeling position and started to pick up the broken wood shards around her.  
  
Her eyes darted up when she heard Jack's mirthless laughter stop. Another loud audible crack was heard from above and the floor around Jack's bed gave way and it came crashing down.  
  
Anamaria had only seconds to roll off the side of the bed as the other bed, Jack along with it, came down hard on top. The lady in the corner screamed and Jack commented, "Well that sure gives you a rush."  
  
He stood at the same time Anamaria picked herself up off the ground there eyes meeting for a moment, before her hand came flying at his face. His head snapped backwards, and he slowly raised his hand to clutch his red cheek.  
  
Anamaria had already turned away and was trying to calm the girl who was still staring at the ceiling, or what was left of it, like there something else might come tumbling down. Anamaria told her nothing else would fall because there was only one other piece of furniture in the room anyways.  
  
Loud footsteps were heard above their heads, and someone shouted, "What the bloody hell happened here?" A head peeked over the side of the massive whole in the bedroom that Jack and Anamaria had currently been occupying. "You three, don't even think about moving. Whoever did this damage is gonna pay!"  
  
Jack answered back "Course not mate, we'll stay right where we are." He smiled at the man as his head disappeared from the hole in the ceiling again. "Come on luv, time to go." He looked at Anamaria.  
  
"But didn't you just tell him you were going to stay?" The girl questioned.  
  
"Luv, don't believe what you hear from Captain Jack Sparrow." Anamaria rolled her eyes at his wild gesture to himself.  
  
"I'm sorry Mr. Sparrow, but I don't know who you are." The girl stared at him. Anamaria sighed, this was not going to go over well with Jack  
  
"What? Me... you don't know me?" Jack was so amazed, it seemed, his gestures had stopped.  
  
The girl shook her head, "I'm sor..." The door handle rattled as the man from above moments ago, was know trying to get into the room.  
  
"Open this door right now!" He demanded.  
  
Jack glanced around, momentarily forgetting his upset at someone not knowing his name. He beckoned to Anamaria to follow him to the window across from the door, which was now being viciously kicked by the man so eager to get in.  
  
Jack opened the window and looked out, after the fall through the ceiling they were now on the ground floor, and the window was only three feet from the ground.  
  
He turned around grabbed Anamaria's hand and shoved her towards the window. She made a small humph noise as he forced her to climb out. Relieved, that she was now on ground that was sure not to break, Anamaria turned around to help Jack, who already had one foot out the window.  
  
As he made it to the ground Jack watched the girl they had so conveniently dropped in on make her way towards the window. "What do you think you are doing?" Jack asked.  
  
"I'm coming, of course. I'm not going to pay for the damage you did." The girl stated.  
  
Jack figured it was a good enough reason, so he helped her climb out the rest of the way, and the three made their way onto the streets of Tortuga.  
  
"Don't you have somewhere to go, girl?" Anamaria questioned coldly.  
  
"No, and my name is Delana White, not girl." She answered back, just as coldly.  
  
"Nice to meet you Del, I may call you Del? The names Jack, but you already know that don't you?" Jack sweetly, making Anamaria sick to her stomach. "Oh, and the charming lady to my right in Anamaria."  
  
"It's nice to meet you Jack... and Anamaria" Del added as an afterthought.  
  
Anamaria didn't like this girl at all, she was too pretty, she was way too polite, and she had too much of Jack's attention. Not that Anamaria cared. "Jack? Where's the Pearl?" Anamaria asked.  
  
"It is in the harbor, of course, luv." Jack answered distractedly as he smiled charmingly at Del. "Would you like to see the boat, Del? It is very lovely." Jack kept on smiling.  
  
"Oh that would be wonderful Jack," She said in a honey sweet voice that made Anamaria scowl harder than ever before.  
  
The tree kept walking, Del staring at Jack, Jack staring at Del, and Anamaria scowling at the ground ahead of her. When the Black Pearl came into view from around a corner in the harbor. Jack stopped and turned around looking at the way they had come.  
  
"What are you bloody doing? The boat is the other way, are you lost?" Anamaria asked sarcastically, her mood had become very sour.  
  
Jack sighed "Oh no..."  
  
"What?" Del sounded worried.  
  
"I left my hat."  
  
******************************  
  
Amber Myst: You are a lifesaver, or a story saver, well you know what I mean. Thanks for the input especially! Glad you think my story is interesting. I hope you liked this Chapter.  
  
Hollaiuar: Look your mentioned again!! Thank you, thank you, thank you. You have made my adding chapter life easier. And a Happy St Patrick's Day to you too.  
  
Kungfuchick: Glad you like my fanfic. Jack wasn't much of a knight to Ana in this chapter though. And don't worry I update as soon a possible... usually. (  
  
Hmm... I kind of changed the story up again. If you don't like it tell me, but something needed to happen, and Del sounded like a good way to put some dialogue in this chapter. Anyways, tell me if you like the addition of Del or not, I think I'm gonna keep her though. Thank you again my cool reviewers. By the way it is gonna take a bit to get the next chapter out, I have a tourney Thur, Fri, and Sat, so count on chap 4 coming on Sun. Sorry!!! Thanks for reading!!! -Rachel 


	4. Asking and Lying

I'm back!! Yeah!! (Hears cheering in her head) Thank you reviewers, you are once again very cool! Very, very, very cool!!! Well I am adding a new Chap, hopeful longer than the last, but we'll see.  
  
Before I start, let me remind you I don't own any of the characters, settings, and so on in Pirates of the Caribbean, except for the ones I make up...sooner or later. I am not getting paid for this either, it is pure pleasure.  
  
Enjoy ____________________________________________________________  
  
Taking Your Chances  
  
Asking and Lying  
  
After dragging Jack onto the Black Pearl, he sulked around for a good hour before Del reminded him that she still needed a tour. So Anamaria watched as they laughed, well, as Del laughed at Jack's stupid comments about each of his crewmembers. Gibbs walked up to Anamaria as she scowled long and hard at the two standing near the mast.  
  
"You alright lass?" Gibbs asked  
  
"I'm fine," Anamaria huffed and made her way below deck to her cabin opposite of Jack's. She stayed leaning against the door for a while, when she heard a knock from behind her closed eyes. "What?"  
  
"It's old Jack, luv." He made a point of emphasizing old, as to remind her of the other day.  
  
"What do you want, Cap'n?" Anamaria used his title.  
  
"Oh, well if we're speaking in formalities, Miss Maria, your Cap'n needs to speak with you," Jack added "Now."  
  
Anamaria opened the door to see Jack balancing himself, non-too steadily against the wooden doorframe. He was having a difficult time with a piece of hair that kept hanging down in front of him. He blew it out of the way, cursing for his missing bandanna, and smiled charmingly at Anamaria.  
  
"I have a small favor to ask." Jack glanced to his left. "I was wondering if maybe Del could sleep in your room tonight?"  
  
Anamaria stuck her head out the door to see Del standing a few feet from Jack, a hopeful smile splayed across her lips.  
  
"And just where am I to stay, Jack?" Anamaria demanded.  
  
"Well, I figured you would get along better with the crew than Del would." Jack answered.  
  
"You want me to sleep with a bunch of dirty, stinky, men?" Anamaria shrieked.  
  
"No, well yes, but they're not all dirty and stinky, luv. What say you to bunking with Gibbs, he ain't too bad when he ain't drunk." Jack pleaded.  
  
Anamaria stared at him for a moment, amazed at what he had just asked. "Fine, take the bloody room! It's not like I need any sleep, anyways." She pushed her way by Jack and grumbled the rest of the way down the hall.  
  
"Well that went over much smoother then I thought it would." Jack said, more to himself than Del. "The room is yours." He turned away and made it down the hall above deck before Del had the time to thank him.  
  
She smirked, more than satisfied with her work on Jack Sparrow, already. Men were so easy to train, given the right...toys. Now all she had to do was keep him on a short rope and the plan would work out perfectly.  
  
Above deck Anamaria had climbed the mast's rigging into the crows nest. She sat nestled into a small crook like a tiny sparrow. Sparrow, she thought, a good for nothing, lying cad, Jack Sparrow. What was wrong with him? Sleep with Gibbs? Was he insane? She stopped her train of thought, right there, because that question was easily answered. Yes, he was insane, mad, crazy, whatever it was called, Jack Sparrow was most definitely it.  
  
Standing on the lower deck, Jack peered around through the fading light for Anamaria. He hadn't meant to make her so upset; he just didn't think it was a good idea that Del should stay with the crew. And when he volunteered to share his bed with her, she immediately declined and told him that she would just sleep on deck. Of course being a real gentleman under all the braids Jack decided that she could use Anamaria's room. The only problem had been getting Anamaria out, without getting himself stuffed into a cannon and blown out into the Caribbean waters.  
  
Jack looked at the crow's nest high above his head. He climbed the rigging, still thinking of what he would say to Anamaria when he reached the top. He heard her scoff as he came over the edge of the nest and sat down across from her. She he could tell by her manner, that she wasn't very happy.  
  
"Look, luv, I didn't mean any harm..." Jack started.  
  
"You didn't do any." Anamaria interrupted.  
  
"Ana, it's just you've been around the boys longer than Del has, and I didn't want to make her sleep with them." Jack tried again.  
  
"So you make me." Anamaria chuckled.  
  
"I wouldn't have, but Del didn't want to sleep with me either, and I didn't want to make Del sleep outside. So..." Jack reasoned as Anamaria flushed red with anger.  
  
"Del this, Del that. Can you stop for a second and listen to yourself!" Anamaria knew she sounded selfish, but she couldn't stand it anymore. Since the time Jack had met Del, that was all he talked about. Del thinks that, Del thinks this, Del wants this, and Del wants that.  
  
If Jack was hearing correctly he could have sworn there was more than just a hint of jealousy in her voice. He smirked at this, knowing it would come as an advantage some time sooner or later. For now however, he would have to keep it on the low.  
  
"Well Ana, I never asked you... would you like to sleep in my cabin? I would be more than happy to share the bed with you." Jack grinned as a plan hatched in his mind.  
  
Anamaria was about to say no, when she thought how this invitation might be a good thing.  
  
"I believe I will take you up on that. But Jack Sparrow, don't you dare think of doing anything funny!"  
  
"Course not, luv." As he got up to climb down the rigging, "Oh, and it's Captain Jack Sparrow."  
  
Anamaria chuckled and got up to follow him to the deck below. When she reached it, she yawned tiredly, making sure Jack saw it.  
  
"Why don't you go to bed, luv? You have had a very hard day, it seems." Jack stated. As Anamaria turned away from him he couldn't help but add, "See you in bed."  
  
Anamaria pretended not to hear him, but couldn't stop the smile from lighting her face as she walked down the stairs towards Jack's room. She stopped in front of Jack's door and was about to turn the handle when she heard a sound from within. Listening closely, she opened the wooden door as silently as possible.  
  
"Where the hell would he put it? Its gotta be here... maybe he, no... he wouldn't put it there." Del stood rummaging through Jack's drawers, the ones that held his letters and maps. She was flitting around searching without relent, mumbling to herself about the hidden location.  
  
Anamaria pulled her gun and aimed it at the back of Del's pretty blond head. "What are you doing?" She asked as coldly as ever. She knew the girl was no good, from the time they had met her this morning.  
  
Del whirled around and caught her breath in her throat. She was not very accustomed to having a gun pointed at her. Even in her line of work, it didn't happen often.  
  
"I asked you what the bloody hell you were doing in Jack's room!" Anamaria repeated.  
  
Del smiled, a plan forming in her head, "What does it look like, bitch?" She snarled in her nastiest voice.  
  
Anamaria had not expected that, and she lowered the gun slightly. Del took that time to race forward and bring her foot up to the gun, sending it soaring. Anamaria, still shocked and even more surprised by Del's roundhouse kick, blocked the incoming punch headed strait for her nose. She then surprised Del with a kick of her own to Del's stomach and a right-hook punch to Del's own nose. Del's nose burst from the impact, and blood went flying onto hers' and Anamaria's clothes. She lay on the floor holding her nose, as Anamaria plucked the gun from where it had landed and squatted down next to her.  
  
She grabbed a fistful of Del's shirt, with the gun pointed at her temple, and snarled, "Who are you, really? And what do you want with us?"  
  
"You give yourself to much credit, I want nothing to do with you, I'm only here for Jack." Del managed out with her hands on her bloody nose.  
  
"What do you want with Jack, then?" Anamaria roared, her gun grinding painfully against Del's skull. She didn't answer, and Anamaria sent a warning shot into the ceiling of the room. "One more time, or the bullet will be in your head, not the ceiling! What do you want with...?"  
  
"What the bloody... Anamaria, Del what is going on?" Jack burst into the room screaming as he took in the messy room before him.  
  
"Jack I caught this tramp sneaking around your room, and I was asking..." Anamaria didn't finish before Jack interrupted.  
  
"Ah, Del what happened?" Jack questioned after seeing her bleeding nose.  
  
"She...she... I was just looking for you. I peeked into the room and she started to beat me, I was so scared when she pulled the gun. I couldn't scream... I wanted to... but...but..." she trailed off as she started to weep very convincingly.  
  
Jack's faced Anamaria, who had backed away from Del's form, but still had the gun pointed directly at her head.  
  
Jack reached Anamaria in two giant steps and yanked the gun from her hand, "What the hell is wrong with you?"  
  
"I didn't start it, she was searching through..." Anamaria tried to explain her side of the story.  
  
"No. I don't want to hear your lies. I thought that I could trust you." Jack sighed  
  
"You can, I swear I'm telling the truth." Anamaria pleaded with him, hating the look of disgust in his clouded brown eyes.  
  
"I want you to leave the Pearl." Jack whispered.  
  
"What?" Anamaria couldn't believe she had heard him correctly.  
  
"Get off at the next harbor." It was killing Jack to have to be saying this to his most trusted friend, but if her jealousy had driven her to strike and almost kill an innocent, he wouldn't have her on his ship.  
  
Anamaria stared at him, and finally realized he meant ever word he said, he wanted her gone. She became as angry as ever, for being kicked off her only home, for Jack not listening to the truth, and for Del lying to Jack.  
  
"Fine, if it makes you happy. Just remember when this wench tries to kill you, or whatever her damn plan is, just remember I tried to save your life. But why should you listen to me, I'm just a woman after all." Anamaria all but screamed.  
  
Jack's hand flashed forward, and he slapped her as hard as he could. Anamaria's head snapped back and she stumbled from the impact. She glanced at Jack, as a lone tear ran down her face. She sniffled quietly and walked to the door shutting it softly.  
  
Jack knew he should have stopped her and at least tried to apologize about the slap. He hadn't meant to hit her quite so hard, but he had to make her stop. It was for his sake, Del's sake, as well as her own, before she had said something she would really regret.  
  
Jack kneeled beside Del who had stopped her crying and watched the scene play out before her. "Lets get you cleaned up." He said half-heartedly.  
  
Anamaria had made her way to the upper deck and went to stand at the front of the Black Pearl knowing it might be the last time. She clutched her soar cheek, but inside her heart hurt worse than anything. She tried to be strong within, telling herself that she didn't need the Black Pearl, that it wasn't her home. That she didn't need Jack Sparrow, she would be fine without him, or any of the crew at all.  
  
Still Anamaria couldn't believe the voice inside. She needed the Black Pearl, the crew, and most of all Jack. She needed Jack Sparrow the way he needed his rum and his ship. Most of all she hated the reason why she needed Jack Sparrow. She loved him.  
  
"I hate everything about you. So why do I love you?" Anamaria whispered into the wind.  
  
*********  
  
Yawn, tired... That was long! Whoa! Or at least it felt long. Muchas gracias to my reviewers. I told you I would get the next chapter out by Sunday. Yeah!! By the way, the last line I used from that song by 3 Days Grace called I Hate Everything About You.  
  
Stephanie(): Yes Anamaria seems to be very jealous indeed. But for a very good reason it seems. Tee hee, she loves him!!  
  
Flare Conlon: Thank you for liking my story! And I will keep it up as long as I get many reviews (( (Don't worry I can't spell either, that's just the beauty of spell check)  
  
Amber Myst: You have lots more to be suspicious about now. She seems to be taking Jack from Ana.... NOOO!!!! (bad author, bad author, calm down) Muuhaha!  
  
Kungfuchick: I did think it would be funny if the floor. Thank you for thinking it was funny. Please keep reviewing!  
  
Hollaiuar: Here you are again, just so you can be happy! I know I'm evil for taking Jack's hat, but I wanted it for myself. AND NO ONE CAN HAVE IT! (bad author, shut up) Thank you for your reviews, can't wait to hear more from you!  
  
Ms Sparrow(): Thank you for liking my story. You are part of my new cool reviewers club (pushes her dorky reading glasses up higher on her nose)! Thank you, keep reviewing, por favor.  
  
Another chapter gone by, so sad to see. I hope you enjoyed this one; it took me all day to write... type. Del is one evil little girl, and how sad it is that Jack doesn't believe Anamaria. He is kicking her off his ship- oh no!! I'll update as soon as possible for you readers out there. Thank you for reviewing, if you do, and if not, well I hope you enjoyed reading my story, so far. I'll hurry, I promise. -Rachel 


	5. Thinking and Shooting

Thanks! My cool reviewers, and anyone else who wants to read and maybe become a cool reviewer too, here is another Chapter. I hope it is just as long as the last... I'm really trying here, give me a break! lol  
  
Before I start, let me remind you I don't own any of the characters, settings, and so on in Pirates of the Caribbean, except for the ones I make up...sooner or later. I am not getting paid for this either, it is pure pleasure.  
  
Enjoy!  
  
____________________________________________________________________  
  
Taking Your Chances  
  
Thinking and Shooting  
  
Jack stood behind the wheel, staring into the distant sunrise. He had been up all night in the same position, one hand strategically steering the Pearl, and the other twisting his braided beard one way and then the other.  
  
Jack didn't have the slightest clue as to where they were going, he just knew he was keeping his distance form any ports. Since the day he had found Anamaria and Del in his cabin, he was dreading bringing the Pearl into any harbor because he didn't know how to say goodbye to Anamaria. He didn't want to say goodbye to Anamaria.  
  
-------  
  
At the same time Anamaria was watching the sunrise through the porthole in the brig. She hadn't been put there, but it was the only place she thought that Jack wouldn't normally come, considering that bitch was still in her cabin. Avoiding Jack had been hard over the past days, fortunately the Captain of the Black Pearl never checked his brig when no one had been taken aboard as prisoners.  
  
Anamaria's stomach growled loudly reminding her how living off hard-tack bread for three days was not very healthy, nor filling. Almost as if he'd been called, Gibbs, with an armful of the nasty bread, tromped down the stairs.  
  
"You think you could be an louder, Mr. Gibbs?" Anamaria glowered at him from the stool that she was leaning on.  
  
"Now there isn't no reason to be all sassy. I brought you more food, so you should be thankful." Gibbs retorted back as he dumped the bread on the dirty floor at her feet.  
  
"Oh yes, thank you for the large variety, I just don't know what to pick to eat first!" Anamaria answered back sarcastically, moving her eyes from the bread to Gibbs again.  
  
Gibbs was the only one who knew she was down here, and he had been a little less than willing to bring her food. But she had forced him to with a little creative bad luck charm; she knew he believed in all that superstitious stuff.  
  
"Look missy, I'm doing you a favor. I don't know why you're so afraid of Jack, anyways." Gibbs knew he'd hit one of Anamaria's danger zones with that comment.  
  
Anamaria picked up the largest piece of rock hard bread and chunked it at his head. It missed by a few mere inches, and Gibbs fled the brig, tripping his way up the stairs.  
  
-------  
  
Jack was still staring into the horizon, when Gibbs caught his attention. His eyes shifted to Gibbs as he stumbled out of the below decks, looking as if he had just come out of a narrowly close escape. Only one person could make Gibbs run that fast, Jack knew, Anamaria. He hadn't seen her since the time he had screamed at her to get out. At first he had been fearful she had jumped overboard, but his suspicions had been laid to rest when Gibbs told him she was hiding away in the brig.  
  
Jack sighed, thinking of that night that had lost something so important. "Not yet," Jack whispered. He still had time to talk with her, ask her why she had done that to Del. Jack shook his head because he knew he would be overcome with guilt to even look her in the eye. He had betrayed his most trusted friend (with good reason it seemed), but he could feel that something wasn't right in his gut.  
  
With another long heave, Jack lapsed back into his mode of staring into the now rising sun above the horizon line. Not looking, not speaking, not thinking was the best idea for him right now.  
  
------  
  
Delana White stood in the middle of the large cabin room surrounded by maps and more maps. She had built up the courage again to sneak back into Jack's room for the first time. As Del once again rustled through the maps, she growled low in her throat.  
  
"Where the hell would you keep it?" She was looking for Isla de Muerta coordinates that her master told her would be on the Pearl somewhere. It didn't help her searching, that Jack seemed to be the biggest pack rat in the Caribbean. He had maps from Black Beard and Calico Jack, years before his time. How he got those maps Del couldn't even guess.  
  
Although she was knew it wasn't going to make her master very happy if she gave away her real meaning for being on the Pearl, she might have to. In order to find the coordinates in time for the... well in time for whatever he was planning on doing.  
  
Del checked over her shoulder one more time for any sign of a secret location it could be hidden in. Finding no implication of said spot, she turned and made her way out of the room and directly into hers... Anamaria's room. Closing the door tightly and shoving a chair under the knob to make sure no one would surprise her. She plopped herself onto the uncomfortable bed in the corner, placed her chin in her hand and sat thinking of her plan.  
  
------  
  
Anamaria was angry to put it simply, what Gibbs had asked had sent her mind reeling into a world of thoughts. 'Why are you avoiding him, are you really that scared of him?'  
  
"Of course not," Sure he was a little frightening when he yelled in her face that she didn't deserve a life on the Pearl. But Anamaria was not afraid of Jack. 'Well then why are you hiding under his feet like a little frightened girl?' "I'm not! I...I... I'll show you. Watch me right now! I'll march right up these stairs, stare him straight in the eyes and tell him to take what he said to me back. Then I'll demand he listen to my story and when he realizes I was just trying to protect him and asks me to stay on the Pearl, I'll deny him. Tell him it isn't worth anything for me to stay aboard and when we reach the port, I'll march right off and never look back." Anamaria finished a bit breathless.  
  
As she stood half-heartedly to finish this once and for all she heard a small giggle from the part of the room hidden away from the sunlight. Del, having made her presence known, stepped from the shadow into the clear view. She had a random pistol in her right hand hanging loosely.  
  
"Come to laugh in my face, have yah?" Anamaria snarled nastily at her.  
  
"No, no. I've come to shut you up." Del pointed her gun right between Anamaria's eyes. "But first I need you for a small favor. Then I promise I'll keep my word, and keep you silent for good." She smiled wickedly and shoved Anamaria towards the stairs that she hadn't climbed in about three days now.  
  
When they reached the top and stepped into the blinding sun, Anamaria closed her eyes tightly, shying away from it. Del grinded the gun farther into Anamaria's back, making her eyes snap back open. They made their way towards Jack who was staring seemingly at nothing at all.  
  
"Call to him," Del whispered in Anamaria's ear. "Make him come down here, so I can grab the compass from him. If you even make a funny look bitch, you're dead! Don't try to warn him of me at all." With that she stepped into a small under hang of the stairs of the wheel deck. Keeping the gun trained on Anamaria from under the stairs she motioned with her other hand.  
  
Anamaria swallowed, not at having a gun pointed up at her, but at the sheer fact that she would have to come face to face with Jack. "Mr. Sparrow." Anamaria called, using the formality to try and warn him without giving it away to Del.  
  
Jack snapped at the sound of Anamaria's voice so close to him. She was standing on the stairs to the wheel deck, where he stood rooted to his spot. He gave her a confused stare, never expecting Anamaria to be bold enough to address him as Mr. Sparrow, when she knew how much he hated it. Then again, she was probably rather upset with him at the moment. He tried to play it off as if he barely noticed her.  
  
"What is it Ms. Maria?" He answered in a gruff tone.  
  
Anamaria trembled inside knowing she probably had lost the only chance of saving her own skin. "I...I need to talk with yah, down here, Cap'n" She turned on her heel and glided down the stairs as smoothly as her shaky legs would.  
  
Jack, even more confused, motioned to Cotton to take the wheel and followed Anamaria down the stairs to the deck, his back facing Del, still hidden in the shadows beneath the stairs.  
  
"What is it?" Jack asked, although he was quite sure he already knew.  
  
Anamaria looked at him for a second, but her eyes moved instead to glance over his right shoulder. Jack was about to turn when a blur of colors ran by him and he felt something quickly pull on his makeshift belt. Before he had time to react Del stood off to the left of him, his compass in her hand and a gun pointed at his heart in her other. She grinned at her prize before looking back up at Jack and Anamaria. Jack looked thoroughly confused and Anamaria was scowling deeply at Del. The crew had stopped their jobs and now looked warily at the scene.  
  
"Don't any of you gentleman think about drawing a weapon, or your precious Captain is dead. Drop your weapons onto the deck now!" All the weapons dropped immediately. "You also Jack... Anamaria." Jack and Anamaria relentlessly threw their swords and pistols away. "Thank you, and thank you Jack, for being such a easy pirate to manipulate. Oh, and don't worry, all will be explained to you in good time. But you must feel awfully bad about believing me, and not even listening to poor Anamaria, who by the way, wasn't lying. I'm so glad that you picked to listen to me instead!" She laughed shrilly and waited for Jack's reaction.  
  
"You... you..." Before he could finish Anamaria snorted almost forgotten in the conversation at hand.  
  
"What?" Del asked frustrated that her moment of pleasure had been interrupted.  
  
"What were you expecting Del?" Anamaria laughed. "Jack would believe any whore at that time of night, no matter what she said."  
  
Jack choked, and Del spun towards Anamaria shoving the gun under her nose. "How dare you call me a whore!?" She screamed.  
  
Coming to his senses Jack realized that the pistol was away from him and he took the moment to kick the compass from Del's other hand. It flew up and Del shrieked as it landed, sinking into the Caribbean waters.  
  
Del whipped the gun around, trained on Jack again. She calmed down a bit more before she stated, "It doesn't matter, they say the island can be found by those who already know where it is, right? You've been there so you know where it is." She pointed a finger at Jack.  
  
"What makes you think I'll tell you?" Jack asked sharply  
  
"I can be very convincing, Sparrow." She said slyly as she turned the gun back towards Anamaria's head keeping her eyes on Jack.  
  
"I will give you to the count of ten. Then again, you probably can't count that high so how about three?" She smirked and her finger tightened on the trigger. "One..."  
  
Jack glanced around at his crew, who seemed almost as helpless as himself. Without his sword or gun he couldn't fight, not against a pistol anyways.  
  
"Two..."  
  
"Alright! I'll tell you." Jack decided to save Anamaria's life.  
  
"Oops too late. Three!" Del's finger tightened all the way on the pistol, Anamaria squeezed her eyes together, waiting.  
  
Jack saw all of it happen in a split second, he heard the pistol go off and shoved Anamaria out of the way, hoping he was in time.  
  
Another shot was heard only moments later.  
  
All time seemed to stop... before two bodies fell to the deck, their blood colliding like a crimson tide.  
  
________________________________________________________________________  
  
****************** EEEEE! Cliffy...no? Sorry it took me forever to update, but I have so much to do. Softball takes up my whole life! *tear* but I love it! Anyways thank you to my cool reviewers again. And to the new review people, welcome to the club of my cool reviewers! Please feel free to review again. (  
  
Hollaiuar: I hoped you liked it again. I think you are my coolest reviewer- (a very big accomplishment, ya know?) Sorry for that long update time, but I hope you liked this chapter and the evil little cliffy!  
  
Flare Conlon: Did Ana save Jack form the eeevil harpie? You shall have to wait to find out for my next update for MORE. Please review again!  
  
The Lady Elessar(): (See my name, a girl has got to have a little lovin' but an attitude in order to kick anyone's arse) Glad you love the story and thank you for reviewing and becoming a cool reviewer.  
  
Kungfuchick: Jack was a jerk, huh? I don't think he was much better in this one either, until the end maybe... Glad you enjoy my story oh so much (I sure enjoy yours) Thanks for the reviews!  
  
Noemy009: Thank you, thank you, thank you! French, hmm? Cool, my friend takes French, the language of love, right? Perfect for a Jack and Ana story, maybe I can use your help on a story in the distant future... *ideas popping into my head* Anyways thank you for the review!  
  
Stephanie(): Please don't hate Jack or me! You can hate Del though. I will admit I'm a bit evil...(cliffy) but I promise to update as soon as possible, okay?  
  
Amber Myst: I'm gonna get scorned for this cliffy too huh.... Apologies already, mate! Thanks for the reviews though, please keep them up. They are very helpful!  
  
Charley: 'A bloody goddess' you say, I think that does have a ring to it...hmmm? Well I may be a star to you but you're a cool reviewer to me. Thank you so much for the review and for making me 'a bloody goddess'!  
  
Cya later doves... I promise to update the first chance I get, which could (if I'm lucky) be tomorrow. How's that? I'll try really hard. Thanks for reading though and please review for me! Ta... -Rachel 


	6. Bleeding and Seething

Hey there, I hope you like this chapter. It might clear a few people's mind. Give them a bit of time to relax. Anyways, thanks for coming to read my story!  
  
Before I start, let me remind you I don't own any of the characters, settings, and so on in Pirates of the Caribbean, except for the ones I make up...sooner or later. I am not getting paid for this either, it is pure pleasure.  
  
Enjoy  
  
_____________________________________________________________  
  
Taking Your Chances  
  
Bleeding and Seething  
  
Anamaria stood, too shocked to open her eyes and turn around. She hadn't felt the tearing pain of a bullet ripping through her chest. Instead when she closed her eyes, she felt a heavy load, which she could only guess was Jack (since he was right next to her), shove her out of the way. Jack saved her? But that meant... where did the bullet go?  
  
She finally opened her eyes, still facing the wrong way to see Gibbs a little off to her left with a smoking gun. The pistol and his eyes were still locked onto whoever the target was. Anamaria turned slowly afraid of what she would see. The whole Pearl was silent just like the waves, watching, waiting.  
  
The first thing she saw was Del lying on the ground, curled up in a tight ball. The pistol that had been pointed at Anamaria only seconds early was right next to her, but she made no move to reach for it. Del's arms were tightly wrapped around her stomach and blood was pouring out around them, staining the deck a brilliant red. Anamaria stayed staring at Del for hours it seemed, amazed at the sight of so much blood. Even for her, being a pirate all her life, she had never seen anyone bleed as much as that girl.  
  
More frightened than ever before, Anamaria slowly twisted around a little more and her breath caught in her throat. Jack Sparrow was sprawled out facedown on his stomach a small pile of wine red blood under him. Anamaria covered her mouth to keep from screaming out, her eyes filling with tears. 'No,' she thought, 'I can cry for days, but I have some trash to take care of.'  
  
Spinning around to face the foe that, without physically hurting her, had caused her the most pain she would ever feel. Anamaria snarled as the helpless girl's life drained out of her slowly, feeling no pity for the poor creature. Chuckling, which came out more like a choking noise, Anamaria picked up the discarded gun, coked it and pointed it strait at Del's head.  
  
"You deserve to die more than anyone on this filthy earth." Anamaria whispered with an eerie calmness.  
  
"Who are you, to speak of what I deserve." Del responded weakly.  
  
"Because if you ever loved anything at all, you would kill yourself without hesitation." Anamaria answered in the same calm voice.  
  
"Oh, but I have..." Del smiled slightly as Anamaria's finger went to pull the trigger.  
  
"Luv, would you stop bloody chatting and help your old cap'n out?"  
  
Anamaria's eyes grew very round and large. 'Jack?' Her finger loosened on the trigger. 'Jack?' Her arm fell to her side. 'Jack?' She turned hoping that she wasn't just imagining his sweet husky voice. 'Jack?' All she could think about was him, her Captain. 'Jack?' Please be Jack!  
  
"Jack?" Anamaria turned, tears spilling out of her eyes. There he lay propped up on his elbow, scowling down at the blood soaking his effects. "Jack!" She flew at him, grabbing his neck tightly and crying all over his already wet shoulder.  
  
"Aughhhhhh! Off, off, off, get off my leg! Owwwww!" Jack yelled right into her ear. "It hurts, ouch!" Anamaria immediately backed off and Jack threw a self-pity party, mumbling and grumbling about the bullet hole in his leg just above his knee. "Stupid bloody women, first one has to shoot me in the bloody leg. No, course she doesn't hit me in the head, where it would have been instant. But bloody women and their bloody ways have to be so bloody long and painful! And then this one, comes and jumps on me like I'm some bloody bed. Sheesh women, can't you see the blood everywhere! Don't just come jump at the first bloody bright thing you see! Stupid, stupid, stupid, bloody wome..."  
  
A resounding smack quieted the pirate captain down instantly. Anamaria glared at him, tears till forming on the edge of her eyes and spilling down her cheeks. He stared at her, seeming to finally realize she was weeping for him. Jack smiled gently and pulled her back into a light hug. She cried harder when she felt his safe arms around her.  
  
After a few minutes, Anamaria looked up suddenly, right into Jack's eyes. He searched her eyes for a few moments, before he figured what idea had popped into her mind.  
  
"Don't luv. She ain't worth it. She's dieing already, she doesn't need the help." Jack said softly still staring deeply into her eyes.  
  
Anamaria shook her head and stood, the pistol still tightly clenched in her hand, never had she dropped it. Unwavering she walked towards Del, leaned down and grabbed the bloody girl by the ruff of her clothes. She hauled her over to Jack, who with the stairs help, was now leaning against them.  
  
"Tell him what you know!" Anamaria screamed at her, jabbing the gun furiously into Del's small back.  
  
Del looked slightly confused, "What?"  
  
"Before you almost killed him, you told Jack that everything would be explained."  
  
"I did say that didn't I? Well I said in good time, at the moment, however, I personally don't think it's a good time." Del answered smartly.  
  
Anamaria growled, "Easy Ana!" Jack tried to step in before she did something she would regret.  
  
"Why don't I just kill her now. She mustn't know anything, she's just holding out to see if we fix her up, so she can live again." Anamaria argued, keeping her eyes on Del.  
  
"Fine, if you want to kill her, do it, she sure deserves it, but I'll have no part of it." Jack looked on disapprovingly.  
  
"Why don't you fight me fair and square?" Del interrupted.  
  
"What?" Anamaria looked at her surprisingly.  
  
Del took hands off her stomach, breathing deeply through the pain. She glanced to her left, to make sure. 'Yep they were definitely coming, just as long as she held out for a few minutes.' "I said why don't you drop the pistol, pull out your sword, give me one and fight me like a true pirate would?"  
  
"I don't think this is a good idea, Ana. Ana?" Jack looked around only to see Anamaria taking one of the crew's swords, and her own out. She tossed one to Del who barely had the strength to catch it.  
  
'Why would she choose this way to die, when she can't even move? Something must be up her sleeve...' Jack's thoughts were drowned out by the sound of steel meeting steel.  
  
Anamaria parried slowly so that the fight would last longer, she didn't want to kill Del just yet. Her patience however would soon run out, and the time to play with the girl would be over. That's when she would run Del through, fair and square just like she wanted.  
  
The fight went on four life times for Jack. He knew that Anamaria should have no problem winning, but she was simply toying with Del right now. Still he felt like something wasn't right, but he couldn't figure out what. He kept a close eye on Del throughout the whole battle, just in case.  
  
Del looked behind her as quickly as possibly, and smiled. 'They're here!' Quiet as mice, her master and his crew crept onto the Black Pearl; staying unseen to all those accept her.  
  
Del looked back forward at the sweating pirate bearing down on her. Taking a deep breath she threw her sword to the ground and stepped up to Anamaria encircling her own hands around her bloody stomach again. She instantly saw the magnificent blade at her chest, pointing to the place where her heart lay.  
  
"What are you doing?" Anamaria asked.  
  
Jack leaned forward off the stairs, and felt the cold blade of a sword under his neck. He tried to call to Anamaria, but the blade pressed gently against his vocal chords. He could only watch.  
  
"It seems, that I've come up with an idea to get you killed. You see the only way that my husband kills people is if they've done something to him. And although you haven't done anything to him yet, you're about to." With those final words, Del leaned back and rammed herself into the sword.  
  
Blood spurted out of the hole in her chest as she slumped to the ground, dead. Never would she get up again. The man, who had so confidently placed his blade under Jack Sparrow's chin, let out a furious roar. Keeping the sword still unmoving, he pulled his pistol and aimed it at the shocked Anamaria.  
  
The crew of the Black Pearl dived for their weapons only to find themselves face to face with pistols or swords of the man's crew. Somehow, they had snuck aboard through all the commotion on the two fighting women.  
  
The man with the blade under Jack's neck spoke with a slight European accent. "Bitch!" He roared at Anamaria. "How dare you kill her when she'd thrown down her sword!"  
  
"I didn't! She stepped right into my blade. I didn't kill her!" Anamaria tried to argue back with the unknown man.  
  
"Be quiet!" He calmed himself slightly and turned back to Jack. "Excuse me Cap'n Jack Sparrow, but I've yet to introduce myself. My name is Zachary, Cap'n of the Betrayal. And though, it does sound classic, I've come to avenge myself."  
  
"What the bloody hell did I do to you? I don't even know you!" Jack seethed through his clenched teeth.  
  
"Not me, you don't know me. You knew my father and mother though. Killed them, you did. My father, Cap'n Bailey of the Last Breath, and my mother, Dania Bailey. You'll die for what you did to them." He pointed to Anamaria. "And you, you'll die too."  
  
"What? Leave her out of this. This is between you and me. She did nothing to you or your parents. That was me alone!" Jack yelled trying to get Zachary's attention away from Anamaria.  
  
"No, she had nothing to do with my parents. But you killed Delana. Delana, my life, my love, my wife!"  
  
_______________________________________________________________________  
  
New twist again! Yeah, people like my story. And people like my other story too. Thanks a bunch cool reviewers.  
  
Amber Myst: You like softball and volleyball too! Cool! They take up so much time, but dang they're fun aren't they? Well I hope you liked this Chappy as much as the last. Not that bad of a cliffy this time.  
  
Hollaiuar: Ahhh my favvy reviewer! I was afraid you weren't gonna review this time. I was pretty scared. But alas, you saved me! Thanks! I hope I didn't keep you too long in waiting for the chapter. Thanks again, my coolest reviewer. Hope you like!  
  
Charley: Hey I'm a star this time!!!!!!! I like stars, but goddess's are pretty cool too. I hope you don't hold a gun to my head (you're a little creepy/jk) Hope this chapter rocks too, just like the last one.  
  
Eccentric Banshee: I'm sorry, I'm sorry, don't cry please! I won't do it again (okay, well that's a lie, but I wont make it so bad) Thanks for the review though, welcome to the cool reviewers club!  
  
Kungfuchick: They aren't dead! (not yet at least) So there will be no harsh words understand. ( Thanks for the review!! I'll update as soon as possible.  
  
wyte-tygre: I'm glad you like my Mary sue part and my cliff hanger. Maybe you will like this one too? Hopefully? Anyways thanks for the nice compliments, they make me feel all cool!  
  
Flare Conlon: It is okay! Relax, you know what happens know. You're okay, calm down. Thank you thank you thank you for the reviews!  
  
Immortal Nymph: Wow, I like you! You give some great compliments. Thanks for thinking I'm such a great writer and have so much talent. I try the best I can. Anyways thanks a lot for the review. It was very sweet!  
  
If I forgot anyone, I'm really sorry! It is late on a school night, and I'm updating just for you. Anyways thanks all my cool reviewers. Hope to hear from you again. Hope you liked the chapter, and thanks for reading it! Ta...  
-Rachel 


	7. Contemplating and Believing

All right! Another chapter up! Have fun reading. This one is pretty serious. Not too may funnies, but I promise, I'll put a few in the next chappy, maybe. Lol. Thanks to my reviewers!  
  
Before I start, let me remind you I don't own any of the characters, settings, and so on in Pirates of the Caribbean, except for the ones I make up...sooner or later. I am not getting paid for this either, it is pure pleasure.  
  
Enjoy  
  
_____________________________________________________________  
  
Taking Your Chances  
  
Contemplating and Believing  
  
The Captain of the Betrayal stood behind the wheel, his hand casually draped across it. He wasn't steering, but thinking of his next move on the board they called the Caribbean.  
  
Staring intently into the setting sun, he was anxious to speak with his captives. The captain knew in his heart, and in the eyes of revenge, Jack deserved whatever was coming to him, although he hardly believed Jack did.  
  
No doubt Jack wouldn't be able to handle easily. No doubt he would use all of his sarcastic comments. And no doubt he would try every one of his sly little tricks to maneuver out of his current position. That however, was where the new girl came in.  
  
How far would Jack go for this pirate wench? It seemed that on the Black Pearl, he'd been ready to die for her, but was it just an act in front of his crew? The captain needed more reassurance before he used Sparrow in the way he wanted to.  
  
A thought provoked him suddenly to think back of the time, a few years ago, when he heard the news of the famous Captain Jack Sparrow and his finding Isla de Muerta. Smirking he remembered the most important and shocking factor of that story, the one Jack traveled with in order to rescue the one he loved. Obviously Sparrow had been willing to die for them, to chase after such a foe as the late Captain Barbossa. Maybe those two, might just be the kind of bribe the captain of the Betrayal needed to set his plan into action.  
  
___________________  
  
Anamaria shifted slightly from her spot on the floor near the wall where she'd been thrown, still unconscious. Jack, trying to ignore the immense pain of the bullet n his leg watched carefully, slowly taking in each part of her. Her feet curled within her large obnoxious black boots. Her legs twisted beneath her, 'rather sexily', grinned Jack. Her bu... stomach, slightly visible since her shirt was raised above her bellybutton. Her shoulders, curved roundly like a woman's should be. Her hair, sprawled out gracefully across the tar-swabbed deck. Her lips, luscious and full, and finally her eyes a dark mousse brown, with black flecks jumbled about.  
  
'Wait a second, her eyes?'  
  
Anamaria was staring back at Jack tickled, that he seemed a bit flustered now that he'd been caught peeking. While Jack, a bloody mess, composed himself, Anamaria sat up right as her eyes checked the brig thoroughly.  
  
"I've already looked, luv, and there ain't nothing here, side from the bars and spotless clean deck." He stated sarcastically.  
  
"How can you stand to be so immature at such a serious time." Anamaria snapped back, not wanting to deal with Jack. Her head still ached from where the pistol butt connected with her skull.  
  
"'S how I deal, luv. Plus I've been in tougher situations than this."  
  
"Well I 'aven't. And I wouldn't be if you'da believed me when I told you Del was a no-good lying-whore." Anamaria turned away at the painful memory of Jack's resounding voice yelling at her.  
  
"Look, Anamaria," Jack used her name, "you're right. I should'a listened to you."  
  
"Don't matter none, anymore Jack. It's all over and done with, Del is dead, and I'll die for it." Anamaria spoke in monotone.  
  
"What do you want me to say, Ana?" Jack snarled getting tired of the conversation, "That I'm sorry? I'm sorry. That I wish I could do it again? I wish I could do it again. That I never meant to hurt you? I never meant it, I swear!" Jack finished, a little out of breath.  
  
Anamaria looked at him, tears glistening in the corners of her eyes, but her face held a stern look. "No Jack Sparrow, you should know what to say." Her voice cracked.  
  
Jack looked surprised at her answer. He had expected yelling, raving, and ranting to be thrown his way, not a few simple words.  
  
"Captain" A voice said, as it descended form the above decks. "I believe it is Captain, right Sparrow?" Zachary Bailey captain of the Betrayal chuckled as he stepped into view of the prisoners.  
  
"Aren't you supposed to be mourning or something?" Jack asked, ignoring the comment about his title.  
  
"Mourning? You mean my dead parents, the ones you killed. I've mourned for them over ten years." Zachary stared attentively to see Jack's reaction.  
  
"I meant your wife." Jack explained simply without a trace of guilt or remorse in his voice.  
  
"I've yet to have the time to think of Delana. And you'd better be mighty glad of that, otherwise that wench of yours, Sparrow, would be hanging from the crow's nest by her neck, savvy?" Zachary snarled pointing at Anamaria.  
  
"Savvy." Jack made up his mind immediately, to never bring up Del again.  
  
Anamaria, however was fuming, smoke practically making its ways through the cracks of wood along the ship. "Wench? Wench? Just who the 'ell do you think you are? Calling me a wench? A wench was your wife!" Anamaria screamed clinging to the bars in front of her, turning her hands white.  
  
Zachary moved but an inch, reached out, and smacked her hard across the face. Anamaria stumbled back as Jack limped up to the bars from his cell on the other side of the brig.  
  
"Was that bloody necessary?" He raved into Zachary's ear, who turned around sharply to face him.  
  
"I believe it was." He answered. "Sparrow, I have a question. What wouldn't you do for this girl?"  
  
That was something Jack had not expected, and he truthfully had no answer for it. He had no answer, because there was none. Although, he probably would never admit it, he would do anything for her.  
  
Hearing no answer, Zachary went on, "You don't really need to answer. I was just curious. No matter, however, if she isn't enough to get you to do what I want, I'm sure Mr. Turner will, or maybe Mrs. Turner? Hmm, Jack?"  
  
"What did you do?" Jack's eyes grew at the sound of his old friend's named being spoken from the other captain.  
  
"Nothing yet, but I'm planning on it, in fact, I'm counting on them. You see Sparrow, I wasn't sure whether you would give up everything for the girl, so I reinforced. As we speak, right now, we are headed towards Port Royal, the home of the Turner's, and their new child, if I'm correct." Zachary added the last part in, to keep Sparrow in line. "Of course, if you just answer my original question, a simple yes or no 'Would you do anything for this girl?', then Mr. and Mrs. Turner can be left out of this."  
  
Jack tried to allow the words to his throat. 'All you have to do is tell him, you'd die for Ana'. The words however couldn't be forced, and he saw the look of pure sadness cross Anamaria's face.  
  
"I'll be taking that as no. I'm very disappointed in you Jack Sparrow, but not nearly as much as the woman seems to be." With that, Zachary spun on his heel and went to steer the ship to its new destination.  
  
Jack looked after him for several minutes, then feeling his heart dread, he turned to Anamaria not sure what to say. She sat there on the dirty floor of her cell. She looked bored and rather normal, but Jack could see the tiny etches of sadness behind her well-placed mask.  
  
"Are you mad?" Jack wanted to claw his eyes out, at his stupid question.  
  
"No, not if you were being truthful." Anamaria stayed staring at the deck, burning holes into it. "Were you?"  
  
Jack thought for a moment before the answer hit him at full force. 'Of course you weren't being truthful! You would do anything for her, and yet you can't even say it out loud!' Jack thought to himself.  
  
Aloud he answered the question in another lie. "Yes."  
  
Anamaria looked up at him for a single moment and then her eyes were back to the floor. "I'm tired and my head hurts. I think I'll get some sleep." She scooted to the corner wall, as far from Jack as possible, and then curled into a tight ball. The real reason she wanted to get away was so that she could weep silently to herself as the day faded to night.  
  
Jack, across the room, sighed, so angry with himself for not telling her the truth. But what was the truth? Sure he would do anything for her, but did that mean he... he loved her? He did. It was as simple as that. He loved Anamaria, a pirate woman.  
  
The night sky appeared outside the porthole of the brig, the waves were calm and the sea was a slow lullaby. The two pirates, prisoners of the captain of the Betrayal, headed towards the town of Port Royal, each had a similar question on their minds...  
  
'Why do I love her?' 'Why do I still love him?'  
  
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Another chappy completed. Drinks all around! *looks around, no one else is cheering* Awww man! Maybe my reviewers will cheer? Yes?  
  
SpecialEddie: I'm glad you like twisty turny-plots and I'm glad you like Jack Ana pairings, cause that is all I write! And of course Jack is in trouble, and he seems to be bringing everyone down with him, no? Anyways I included the Turners (will and Elizabeth)... or well they are soon to be included. Many thanks for the lengthy review, I like those. Thanks again!  
  
Stephanie(): What can I say, but... yes of course! Keeps everyone on their toes, hmm?  
  
Kungfuchick: No problem (about the death thing) but I cant guarantee their safety for too long now. Please don't hurt me!!  
  
Hollaiuar: Yeah.. still my favorite, you are. No worries there mate. YES Del did die, and I don't do that whole coming back from the dead thin, so again... no worries mate. Thanks so much for liking my story. You are the best, and I will make sure to update. Cya around. Ta....  
  
starrynight265: Hi there. Yes it seems I have included the 6 most important factors, to making a Potc story. I hope you enjoyed this chappy as much as you seemed to like the rest. Thanks for the review!  
  
wyte-tygre: O.O (nice face) lol. Thank you, like I said to Stephanie(), tiwst keep you on your toes... no? Thanks for the review again!  
  
Flare Conlon: The harpy's dead, the harpy's dead. Yeah! Lets all sing and dance! Sorry for the evil cliffy again, but I hope you like this chapter (not such a bad cliffy at the end) Thanks for reviewing!  
  
Eccentric Banshee: Okay... well someone's a bit creepy. Maybe a little obsessed. Anyways glad you enjoy the story, and I hope I'm not causing you too much mental strain, but Del is most definitely dead.  
  
Amber Myst: Harsh words, but I'm glad it was April's fools day. Saved me a lot of worrying. Thanks for the reviews so far, I like getting your compliments. Lol. Thanks so much for the help though!  
  
I'm done, finally! I have to go to bed now. Nighty-night. I hope you liked the chapter. I hope I get another one up as soon as possible. Thanks for reading! Cya later -Rachel 


	8. Attacking and Returning

Ahh, another chappy finally. Well this one you will all be happy to know is pretty dang long. At least it felt long to type out. Maybe I'm just a slow typer. Oh well you'll have to deal. There isn't much Ana in this chappy, but I promise there will be next chapter. Have mucho fun reading it.  
  
Before I start, let me remind you I don't own any of the characters, settings, and so on in Pirates of the Caribbean, except for the ones I make up...sooner or later. I am not getting paid for this either, it is pure pleasure.  
  
Enjoy _______________________________________________________________________  
  
Taking Your Chances  
  
Attacking and Returning  
  
Jack tried to sleep, but faces haunted his dreams swarming in and out of them. Anamaria's voice kept asking him over and over "Were you being truthful? Did you mean it?" Again and again, she repeated it inside his head. And each time he answered in a lie, 'Yes,' while another voice screamed 'No!' Each time Anamaria only seemed to hear yes, and Jack watched her crest fallen face drop to the floor.  
  
He woke in a fit, his arms and legs flinging everywhere. Wincing, Jack looked down in the dark to see his leg. The wound ached painfully, and he knew that if he didn't take out the bullet soon, serious damage could be done. However Jack's effects had obviously been taken away, and he sure as hell wasn't going to did it out with his fingers.  
  
Still breathing heavy, he glanced at Anamaria curled up, her chest rising and falling evenly. 'Well, at least she can get a decent night rest' Jack thought.  
  
Not being able to sleep was a great disappointment for Jack, not because he would be tired, but because all he could do otherwise was think. Think of the present or the past. He chose the latter, because right now Jack wasn't sure how different thinking of Anamaria would be as dreaming of her. So Jack thought back to the night that his own pistol murdered the Captain Bailey and his beautiful wife.  
  
*************Flashback  
  
Hard rain pelted down on the decks of the Black Pearl, the waves crashed against the sides and spun her about like a top. Captain Jack Sparrow, in all his days of piracy, had never seen a storm with such force behind it. 'Something must 'ave made this sea very angry, either tha' or she's bored' Jack smirked to himself but stopped immediately at the sight of a huge wave, larger than any so far come tumbling down on the Pearl from above. It knocked one of Jack's crew off his feet and engulfed him into its depths.  
  
Jack gulped and clung onto the wheel, before screaming down to the rest of his crew. "Get a rope, mates! Leave you positions and tie yourself to the main mast! "  
  
Barbossa, first mate of the Black Pearl, staggered up to Jack's posting and yelled into his ear, "What if the mast doesn't hold, Cap'n?"  
  
Jack stared at him and answered without hesitation, "You bloody well hope it does." With those words he turned back to directing the Pearl through one hell of a storm.  
  
__________  
  
Hours later, Jack and the crew celebrated their victory with many rum bottles and card games. Only losing three in the terrible storm was definitely something to cheer about. All the men were very drunk except Jack, who had of course drunk as much rum as anyone else (probably more), but seemed to be as sober as ever. Groaning he rolled up off his chair and stretched his cramped legs. Deciding that the celebrating was getting boring he made his way to above decks to check on his love.  
  
Barbossa was sailing, having not wanted to be apart of the celebration. 'Tha' pirate really needs to lighten up an' 'ave some fun' Jack thought to himself, 'He is so predictable.' Sauntering over to his first mate, he placed a friendly hand on his shoulder, "'Ow's it going out 'ere, mate? Spotted anything yet?"  
  
Barbossa gave him a confused look, "Am I supposed to be seein' something, Cap'n?"  
  
"No." Jack said quickly, making up for his slip.  
  
His first mate looked at him doubtfully. "Jack, Jack," Barbossa used a formal term with his captain, "you know yah can't hide nothing from me. I mean I'm your best mate, lad."  
  
"Alright, but no speaking of it to the crew yah hear?"  
  
"Course not."  
  
"There's a ship up 'head somewhere. Another pirate ship, the Last Breath, captained by a Bailey."  
  
Barbossa kept his eyes narrowed on Jack's face. "What is so good 'bout tha', Jack?"  
  
"Well, if you'd let me finish.... Supposedly Cap'n Bailey has a map to Isla de Muerta." Jack's eyebrows wiggled up and down at the idea. "So all we's got to do, is take the Last Breath, savvy?"  
  
Barbossa rolled his eyes at his stupid captain's favorite word, but the mention of Isla de Muerta intrigued him. Every pirate in this lifetime knew the stories of it, an island covered in treasure. "I savvy." Barbossa finally answered.  
  
Jack wasn't listening, but instead his attention was caught on the object, which was just now visible through the dark. An outline of a large ship loomed ahead, cutting through the waters almost as swiftly as the Pearl.  
  
"Go get the men, Barbossa! Tell 'em to prepare for a fight." Jack ordered.  
  
"I think they're sleeping off their drinks, Cap'n."  
  
"Well then rouse them, splash some water on their faces, I don't care! Just tell them to get their bloody arses out 'ere now!"  
  
Soon the entire crew of the Black Pearl was standing groggily with weapons in hand. 'Maybe attacking Cap'n Bailey ain't such a great idea.' Jack pondered this to himself. 'Oh well, I'm sure the prize that comes out of this will be well worth it.' Jack grinned at the thought of the map.  
  
The two ships scraped each others side, so close, if you reached your arm out you could touch the other, if it wasn't shot off with flying bullets. Cannonballs flew at one ship as fast as they smashed open the other one. Pirate's swords clashed, and pistols went off constantly.  
  
Everyone was battling, not one person was still, except for those who lay unmoving, covered in blood. Barbossa was matched up with Captain Bailey step for step, but Jack, however had made his way down to the lower decks. He could hear the roar off men above him as he crept down the long deserted hallway.  
  
He checked all the doors, but couldn't find a room that looked suited for the captain. Finally, Jack's eyes came to rest on the last door in the hallway. A voice was cursing from the inside, and he could see the door was taking a major beating.  
  
Slightly fearful and slightly curious, Jack pulled his pistol from his belt and kicked the door open. It flung inwardly with a whoosh and the person behind it was sent crashing to the floor. Jack stepped through the opening and quickly and aimed at the figure. A woman?  
  
She looked up at him, her eyes flashing, before she slowly rose to her feet. She was very beautiful. She had dark blue eyes that reflected the ocean itself, long blond hair, which was quite a mess from her trip to the floor, and her curvy body also added to her features nicely, Jack noted.  
  
"Yah gonna stare all night?" She snapped.  
  
"Apologies, luv. Didn't mean to scare yah like tha'." Jack grinned widely at her.  
  
"Oh don't flatter yourself, yah didn't scare me none." She went to push past Jack, but he held out an arm to stop her.  
  
"I still 'ave a gun on yah, luv. So I would be doin' exactly what I say, savvy?" His voice lost its playful tone and his eyes grew cold.  
  
The girl seemed to notice and stopped wrestling his arm out of the way. Dropping her hands she backed away from him. "What do yah want?"  
  
"First, luv, answer me wha' your doing down 'ere?"  
  
"My husband locked me in 'ere, 'fraid I was gonna get hurt out there with all the fighting."  
  
"But this is the Cap'n's quarters..." She stared at him blankly as the news- sunk in. "You're married to Cap'n Bailey?" Jack questioned slowly.  
  
"Aye"  
  
Jack smiled as a plan formed in his head. "Perfect, you're just what I need, luv. Wha's your name?"  
  
"Tis Dania Bailey." The captain's wife answered suspiciously. "What are yah planning on doin'?"  
  
Before she got an answer, Jack grabbed her roughly and shoved her towards the doors. He had the gun trained on her back as he made her walk down the hall and up the stairs into the heavy battles still going on around them. Pulling her to him, he called through the commotion to Captain Bailey, who was still tiredly crossing blades with Barbossa, "Cap'n Bailey!"  
  
Barbossa and Bailey lowered their swords at Jack's call, along with both crews. Everyone saw what Jack had his pistol pointed at. He was holding a woman, no older than thirty, at gunpoint.  
  
"Coward!" Captain Bailey screamed at him from across the deck.  
  
"Ah, ah, ah. I wouldn't say such things if I were yah. Having your bonny lass at the end of me pistol, Cap'n Bailey." Jack taunted.  
  
"What'd yah want?" Captain Bailey gave in.  
  
Jack chuckled, for he had been asked that question twice in the last few minutes. "You're crew needs ta drop their weapons. And wha' I want is the map yah got to Isla de Muerta!" He answered forcefully, grinding the gun harder into Dania's head.  
  
Cap'n Bailey looked around at his helpless crew as they set their weapons aside. He did the same before agreeing, "Alright." He unattached a small item from his belt and threw it to Jack. It sailed across the head's of the crews and landed in Jack's outstretched palm. "Let Dania go!"  
  
Jack had already flung her away to catch the map. He opened it hopefully and stared at a compass inside. 'What?' Jack's features changed dramatically, he let out a deep growl from the back of his throat. "Bloody liar! This isn't a map, it's a bloody compass."  
  
Cap'n Bailey looked up in time to see a very angry Jack aim a pistol at his head and squeeze the trigger.  
  
"No!" A scream was hard.  
  
Captain Bailey didn't feel any sharp pain and he thought 'Am I dead already, I didn't even feel the bullet?'. As he opened his eyes from their tightly shut position he saw his beautiful wife's dark blue eyes, staring into his, vanish into gray orbs. She gave him one last smile before she crumpled to the ground. He ran to her and lifted her into his arms, but she made no sound. She had saved his life and he didn't even get to hear her say one last thing. Clinging to Dania, he silently cried for what she left behind- a loving husband and ten year old boy, who 'thank the heavens' was left at their home this trip.  
  
Jack was more than a little surprised when the woman stupidly leapt into his line of fire. He hadn't been aiming at her, but now she lay in her husband's arms, dead... as anyone can be. Jack couldn't think strait, he had never killed a woman before, he thought that it wouldn't feel any different than a man, but it did.  
  
As Cap'n Bailey came to enough of his senses to be able to utter words, he scowled madly in Jack's direction. "Ye bastard! How dare yah shoot me wife!" He choked on his tears.  
  
Jack shivered inwardly at the man's cold eyes, "Wasn't me fault, mate, she jumped in the way to save your sorry skin." Jack shouted back. "Yah should'a just gave me the real map to the Isla de Muerta and none of this 'ere would have 'appened."  
  
"That is the map, the compass is the map. It doesn't point north, it points to the island." Cap'n Bailey gave up yelling, and whispered this.  
  
Jack had to lean in to hear what he said, but he knew that what he'd done now, was very wrong. Not only had he killed for no reason, but also it was a woman. Jack glanced around at the mingled crews, "Pick up your thing's, mates" he addressed his own crew, "let them be and get back to the Pearl."  
  
As they left, no one made a sound, neither crew looked towards the mourning captain crouching over his lifeless love. Jack didn't glance back either for his guilt almost overfilled him.  
  
"Cap'n!" A voice called behind his back. Jack turned to see that it was Captain Bailey who had called him. As he watched Bailey got up off his knees leaving his unmoving wife on the bloody deck. "I only ask one thing of yah."  
  
"If it is an apology, don't bet on it, mate." Jack interrupted, he may have felt guilty, but he wasn't about to let the crew know that.  
  
"No, I only ask you... please shoot me."  
  
"What?" Jack asked, taking a step back.  
  
Captain Bailey grabbed Jack's pistol, which he still held in his murderous hand. Placing it on his heart he pulled the trigger with Jack's finger pressing onto the cold metal. The shot resounded in the quiet night sky as Captain Bailey's body fell to the deck. Jack stared at it, too stunned to do anything else.  
  
"Cap'n!" Barbossa's voice cut in, "let's get out of 'ere now!"  
  
Jack looked up and saw the crew of the Last Breath stalking towards him screaming insanities over their dead captain. Jack spun on his heel, grabbed a free rope and swung over to the Pearl expertly, just as the anchor lifted and Barbossa sailed it away from the other crew longing for Jack's blood.  
  
Jack didn't know what to think, 'did I murder two people tonight in cold blood? Did that last one count, I hadn't meant to pull the trigger, but... I did' Jack moaned as the thoughts went racing through his head.  
  
"Barbossa, keep us sailin', I'll be out in a while." Jack said as he made his way, almost blindly, to his cabin. Slamming the door behind him he crossed the room and fainted, very un-pirate-like unto his bed.  
  
************End Flashback  
  
Jack felt sick with guilt. Even now he still couldn't decide if either the death of Dania Bailey or Captain Bailey was his fault. Thinking about them now had not helped his mood, in fact it had worsened it greatly.  
  
Anamaria awoke suddenly with a scream just as Zachary descended from the stairs. "Sorry there, didn't mean to scare you." Zachary grinned at her.  
  
"Oh please, don't flatter yourself. You didn't scare me one-bit." Anamaria snapped back roughly.  
  
Jack's mind snapped back into his remembrance of a similar conversation he had with Dania Bailey. Right before she died. 'That won't 'appen to Ana, not with me 'ere" Jack thought to himself.  
  
"Hey Sparrow... yah listening?" Zachary waved his hand and pointed to himself, "I'm telling yah that we're comin' up on Port Royal."  
  
Jack snapped out of his memories and glared up at him with immense hate. "If yah harm them in anyway..." Jack started.  
  
"Don't worry Sparrow, I'm not goin' to get 'em. You are," Zachary smirked dangerously. "And don't think about runnin' away, cause this wench is gonna stay right 'ere wit me. And you mess up at all... I'll slice 'er throat."  
  
Jack spit towards him, and mumbled a few curses directed his way. Zachary simply kept his smile plastered on and passed them off with a wave of his hand. With a final nasty look from Jack he walked up the stairs, and disappeared above deck.  
  
Seconds later, Zachary was back down the stairs with an item in his hand, "Ah... I almost forgot. I figured, Sparrow, yah would do a better job with this, no?" In his hand he held out Jack's tattered tri-cornered hat.  
  
Jack squeaked and grabbed it out of the captain's hands, before shoving it deep down on his forehead. He looked back up, only in time to see Zachary's boot on the stair before once again it was above deck.  
  
"Well at least, I got me hat back."  
  
________________________________________________________________________  
  
That is the longest chappy ever (that means the 'thank you' s won't be too long () I hope you liked all the flashback stuff, that was a very long flashback, I know. Deal with it. I'm also very sorry, but Jack was pretty mean in some of those parts. My guess though is that before Jack lost the Pearl- when Barbossa was his first mate- he wasn't the nicest guy. I mean come on people, he was a pirate. Anyways, I hope the flashback cleared up the reason why Zachary is so angry with Jack, no? Jack got his hat back! Hurray! Isn't everyone excited? I know there wasn't much Ana in this chappy, sorry. Please don't hurt me. Well here goes the thank you-s:  
  
Charley(): Glad you like it so far, and I can't promise Ana won't get hurt, but she is pretty tough. Yes, Del is dead! It's okay now. Lol Thanks so much for the review.  
  
PiratePrincess91: Sorry about the cliffhanger! I'm not trying to make people worry, I swear! As for posting soon- I'll try really hard. Thanks for the review!  
  
SpecialEddie: Big Bad Bailey –lol- I like that! Thanks again for the great review. I hope that you like this chapter! I worked forever on it. About the Ana Jack love thing, I'm trying to think of a good way for all that to happen, without the cliché deathbed ending. Maybe some ideas wouldn't be too bad *wink* Have fun reading and thanks so much for the reviews!  
  
Amber Myst: EEEEEEEEEeeeeee 2005 will never come soon enough now. Why did you have to tell me! No! lol actually I wanted to know, thanks. I'm so glad you are enjoying my chappys, I hope you like this one too. Thank you for the reviews as well.  
  
liquid*crystal: Yeah! Some constructive help! I need all the help I can get. Thank you fo the narrative compliment, and I agree with you about Jack's speech – it doesn't sound right. I tried to change it a bit in this chappy. I hope it sounds better. Thank you for the review.  
  
mich(): I didn't really explain that did I? Sorry! Well, all I can tell you was that Ana was pissed at Jack and she probably wasn't to intent on helping him out with his bullet wound and all. Thank you for the review.  
  
Kungfuchick: Really? You love my story? Yeah I love you! Ummm.... What I mean is that... ummm... thank you. Lol Thanks for the reviews so far!  
  
Flare Conlon: Yes the harpy is definitely gone! Don't worry about that anymore. I'll keep it up as soon as my fingers and brain can make up the next chappys. I hope you liked this one as much as the others! Thanks for all the reviews!  
  
Shadowfox(): Thanks so much for the awesome compliments, they make me feel all warn and fuzzy. Lol. I hear ya... I'll update as soon as possible. I hope you like this chappy, thanks again for the review.  
  
TrappedandAnnoyed(): I love Jack/Ana stories also! Except when they get hurt, I don't think that is the best. Oh well, whatever floats you boat...hmm. Thanks for the review and I'll update as soon as I can, savvy?  
  
Okay, well thank you again readers and reviewers! I hope you enjoyed this chappy as much as the rest. Please review if you have time too. But thank you for reading regardless. Now my fingers are cramped so I'm gonna scoot. Ta... -Rachel 


	9. Telling and Kicking

Sorry for the long wait, I had a bit of a cockroach problem in my room. Anyways, I hope that this is another chappy that everyone will like. It might seem a bit choppy but please hang in there. Thanks to my reviewers, so far!  
  
Before I start, let me remind you I don't own any of the characters, settings, and so on in Pirates of the Caribbean, except for the ones I make up...sooner or later. I am not getting paid for this either, it is pure pleasure.  
  
Enjoy  
  
_____________________________________________________________  
  
Taking Your Chances  
  
Telling and Kicking  
  
As the harbor of Port Royal came into view, only a few minutes off, Captain Zachary turned to his men and ordered them to bring the two captives out.  
  
When the grungy pirates came to get Anamaria out of her cell, she put up quite a fight. She didn't want to be directed like a blind man, so they reasoned with her (for the sake of all their teeth) and let her walk without assistance, though a pistol was pointed at the back of her head.  
  
Jack also didn't want to be lead around by the foul-smelling men, but he could barely stand without stumbling around, and the men decided to take it upon themselves to be... so kind and help him out.  
  
So as they moved from the dark brig to the fading daylight, Anamaria walked haughtily in front, and Jack limped behind, groaning as the men gripped him, feeling like they were tearing his limbs apart.  
  
"Tie 'em up." Zachary nodded to the main mast of the Betrayal.  
  
Once Jack and Anamaria were tied their backs to the main mast, arms stretched behind them and each of their wrist tied to the others. Zachary smirked at the two helpless pirates encircling the mast, both struggling against their bindings.  
  
"Yah won't get out of that, so yah might as well stop your struggling." He said as he came to a stop in front of Jack. He saw the wench twisting her neck to try and see behind her, but the mast blocked her view. Zachary's smirk grew even wider, "Alright Sparrow," his attention snapped back to the other bond prisoner, "I'll tell yah what I want yah to do. So yah better damn well listen cause I ain't repeatin' it. Yah hear me Sparrow?"  
  
Jack just looked at him, he'd decided earlier that keeping his mouth shut was the best way to really get Captain Zachary flustered.  
  
"Don't just stare. Answer me, yah bloody rat!" Zachary raised his fist up and brought it down sharply across the pirate's face.  
  
Jack's lower lip burst open and drained the color out of them. Still, he refused to say a word, hoping the Captain would make a mistake he could take advantage of.  
  
Zachary's eyes narrowed into slits at Jack's silence. Again he raised his arm to strike him across the face, in the same spot, but the wench interrupted him.  
  
"Bloody coward." Anamaria said over her shoulder. She hadn't been able to see what happened, but she could guess from the loud whack, Jack must have been punched. "Hittin' a man, tha's tied up and can't even defend 'is self." She shook her head back and forth, disappointed, "Coward."  
  
Zachary hissed and made a semi-circle to the other side of the large mast where she was tied. "Watch your tongue, wench. Or I might 'ave to cut it out."  
  
"I'm only speakin' the truth." Anamaria shot back.  
  
Zachary's patience ran out with her and he slapped Anamaria, hard, across the cheek. She felt her head snap to the side before she instantly brought it back around to the glare at him. Zachary didn't wait for her to open her mouth this time; he just brought his palm across her face again... and again.  
  
"Stop!" Jack yelled from behind her.  
  
"Ah, so 'e finally speaks. Only took a bit of bitch slapping to get your mouth movin' again...hmm, Sparrow?" Zachary finished the rest of his circle to end up in front of Jack once more.  
  
Jack growled, "Tell me what it is yah want me tah do in Port Royal."  
  
"Oh yes that's right... as yah can see, no doubt, the harbor is right up ahead. All yah got to do is bring back the Turner's." Zachary said easily.  
  
"'Ow do yah expect me to do that? I got a bullet in me leg and I'm not exactly welcome 'ere." Jack snarled.  
  
"That just makes it more fun. Yah have until sunset to bring 'em back before I skin the wench, savvy?"  
  
"I can't just walk into their home bleedin' all over the place and ask 'em to come aboard wit some crazy captain!" Jack argued back.  
  
Zachary leaned towards Jack and yanked his braided chin bringing his ear close to his mouth. He whispered, so that no one else heard, "Sparrow, word of advice, don't e'er call me crazy, yah hear?" His voice was menacing for such a soft tone. He released Jack, and in a normal voice he said, "Be creative, make up a story. But remember yah only have until sunset."  
  
Jack looked out into the distant sky, the sun was starting to descend behind the horizon line already. "The suns already settin', I've got tah do all this in only but an hour?" Jack asked persistently.  
  
"I suggest you better hurry, no?" Zachary said, leaning in to untie one of Jack's bound hands as he motioned to one of his crewmates to do the same to the other. When Jack had the feeling in his wrist again, he took a shaky step away from the mast towards Captain Zachary.  
  
"There's a boat o'er there for yah to get tah the harbor on." He nodded his head in the direction to Jack's right.  
  
Jack stomped, or tried his best to, over to the lowered boat. When he had mastered getting into it, a difficult task for a man with a bullet hole in the side of his leg, some of the crew of the Betrayal lowered the tiny boat. It was almost like he was reliving the first time he'd sailed into Port Royal on Anamaria's stolen boat. Except this time he was sailing into Port Royal to save Anamaria's life. 'Funny', he thought.  
  
His arms ached badly, from the long row, by the time he reached the harbor, and it didn't help that everyone was staring rather awkwardly at him. 'What had they never seen a bloodied up pirate before?' Jack asked inwardly.  
  
As he clambered out of the boat, Jack turned back to face where he'd departed without Anamaria. Two men, one on each of her arms, were holding her back, and Captain Zachary was tracing his finger around her face. Jack watched with a sneer until his finger outlined her lips and she opened her mouth dangerously high and bit down as fast as her clamping teeth could go. Everyone in the Port Royal harbor turned to look at where the loud yelp had been produced.  
  
Figuring Anamaria could handle her self, even with a crew of mad pirates, Jack started out on his trek to the last place he remembered Elizabeth's house being, the governor's mansion.  
  
'Even if they have moved', Jack thought, 'I'll just trick the bloody governor into telling me where they are now'.  
  
As he approached the looming house, Jack turned over the hundreds of stories he knew, in his head. Picking out one he knew the Turner's would believe, he bashed the side of his closed fist against the hard wooden door. Taking a deep breath and looking as pitiful and hurt as he could be, he put on a sad scowl.  
  
A young maid opened the door, with much difficulty. She smoothed her skirt before taking a look at the guest. She tried to stifle her gasp at the bloodied scallywag standing in the doorway to the Turner's home.  
  
"C...c...can I help you, umm... sir? She stuttered.  
  
"Ah, yeah. I'm lookin' for William Turner and his bonny lass." Jack glanced at the frightened girl's face turn into confusion, "Elizabeth Swann." Jack said correcting himself.  
  
"They are not seeing guest at the moment, but I shall tell them that you stopped by." And without even asking for his name, she closed the door tightly on his face.  
  
Jack sighed, he'd guessed that it would happen like this, but their was always a flashing sense of hope in the back of his mind that someday he wouldn't get the door closed on his face. "Oh well, 'ere we go." Jack muttered to himself.  
  
The maid had barely stepped into the next room, when the front door swung open wide and the man from outside stepped in. She screamed fearing for her life, even though he hadn't pulled a pistol, yet.  
  
"Look miss, 'scuse me for barging in, but I need to talk to the Turn...ers" He trailed off as Will came swinging around the bend of the upstairs corner.  
  
"Andrea? What is going on? Why did you scream, you woke Lucy!" He didn't see Jack, but was pointedly fixed on the cowering maid in entrance to the parlor. "Is everything alright? What's the problem?" Will asked worriedly at Andrea's cautioned face.  
  
"I believe tha' be me, whelp."  
  
Will turned towards the voice and found himself staring straight at the man who'd helped rescue his wife not but a year ago. "Jack?"  
  
"Aye whelp."  
  
Not sure how to react to the pirate, Will examined Jack, not liking what he saw. Jack was covered in blood, he had a deep bruise on his cheek, and he swayed back and forth as he stood by the bottom of the stairs.  
  
"What... whose blood is that?" William asked as he made his way down the stairs to assist him.  
  
"I's mine. Comin' from this bloody leg!" Jack motioned, with great exaggeration, to it.  
  
Will caught him as he leaned to one side. "Elizabeth!" He called, half dragging Jack into the parlor. Gently helping the pirate captain onto the couch, they heard the sound of small feet clattering around above them.  
  
"What happened Jack?" Will questioned.  
  
"Might as well wait till the lass comes, whelp. No need explainin' twice." Jack answered him as he shifted uncomfortably on the couch.  
  
Only a few moments later, Elizabeth came running through the parlor doors with a bundle in her arms. "What's going on here Wi...?" She didn't finish at the sight of Jack Sparrow's blood spreading over her new couch. Trying to ignore it, she handed Will little Rebecca and went to check out Jack.  
  
"Stop lass." Jack stopped her hands from inspecting his leg.  
  
"Captain Sparrow, I don't know how you did this, but it's serious and needs to be looked at. And I figured you'd rather have me than a doctor. Right?" Elizabeth remembered to use his captain title.  
  
"No, yah can look at it later. I need yah help." Jack glanced out their window to see how much time he had left. The sun was a little more than halfway under the horizon now. Jack turned back quickly rushing his story together. "Look, me crew and I were sailin' a week ago, when we were caught in a huge storm. So, naturally I'm out steering the Pearl through the rain, when a wave, bigger than you can believe, swiped me feet out from under me. The next thing I knew, I was out in the middle of the Caribbean, all by me onesies."  
  
"Where was the Pearl?" Will interrupted.  
  
"Don't know whelp." Jack answered shortly. "I waited, clinging to a piece of driftwood until a ship came into view. So I called for help... well, I mean I just called to them, and they came and picked me up. The captain was friendly enough and offered me a spot on the crew, till we got tah Port Royal. And now 'ere I am."  
  
_________________________________  
  
Anamaria hugged herself, inspecting the damp room. After Jack had left to return with the Turners, Captain Zachary had his men bring her down to his quarters.  
  
The door opened and Anamaria turned like a flash to see the Captain of the Betrayal standing there in all his glories. Zachary slammed the door behind him and put on a rugged smile for her.  
  
Anamaria felt like she was going to be sick, and hugged her stomach even more, trying to keep the building taste in her throat from coming up. She knew why she'd been brought to his quarters; it was quite obvious as he shrugged off his heavy coat. Throwing it across the back of a chair and flinging his hat nearby, he stalked towards Anamaria.  
  
"Get away from me, yah disgusting pig!" She yelled as his hand caressed her arm. Taking a step backwards her legs hitting the bed she bent forward and tripped onto the bed.  
  
"Good wench, yah know exactly where to go." Zachary chuckled as he came over and kneeled beside her on the bed, reaching for her shirt.  
  
Anamaria saw the Captain's pistol still hanging from his belt. She smiled slyly up at him and with much a force to her dignity she grabbed a fistful of his shirt and pulled his lips to hers.  
  
Zachary was confused at the shift in her attitude and his shoulders shrugged slightly, before Anamaria grabbed the gun from him and shoved him away. Swiping her mouth, she spit off the side of the bed and cocked the pistol aiming at his head.  
  
"Stupid bitch!" Zachary growled.  
  
"Stupid? Stupid?" Her voice rising, "how can you call me stupid when you're the bloody idiot who wore his gun?!"  
  
"Funny thing is..." He said slowly approaching her.  
  
"Get away from me or I'll blow your brains right out of that head!" Anamaria threatened.  
  
Zachary didn't stop and Anamaria closed her eyes and only took a second to hesitate before squeezing the trigger. However, no shot was heard and the pistol was jerked out of her hand.  
  
"Funny thing is, I didn't load it." Zachary laughed hollowly, throwing his head back to enjoy his moment of delight. It didn't last long, because Anamaria took it upon herself to stand up and kick him in a part where no man, pirate or not, would like to be kicked.  
  
The captain squeaked and grabbed himself, still clinging to the unloaded pistol. Anamaria made her way around him and grabbed doorknob. Jerking it open, she stepped out and took a glance back at the helpless man rolling around on the floor. She smirked happily but suddenly she felt the butt of a sword come down on the back of her head.  
  
Anamaria dropped to the ground like a statue and a dirty, grinning pirate stood behind her, sword raised. "I heard some commotion down 'ere, Captain. Captain? Captain Bailey, sir?"  
  
"What?" Zachary snarled, rolling over to see one of his crewmembers standing over Anamaria's unconscious body.  
  
"Umm... I got the woman, Captain."  
  
"Throw her in the brig! Now!"  
  
______________________________  
  
"How did yah get shot?" Elizabeth asked Jack suspiciously, sensing she wasn't getting the whole story.  
  
"Well on the ship, with the friendly captain, we ran into a bit of trouble." Jack covered. "So being Captain Jack Sparrow, I saved a man's life and took a bullet for him."  
  
Elizabeth looked Jack over thoughtfully, "I don't believe you." She snorted.  
  
"You don't?" Jack hoped that he hadn't been found out.  
  
"No." Elizabeth said simply. "I don't believe you would jump in the way of a bullet."  
  
Jack smiled slightly, realizing Elizabeth was only talking about that part of the story. "Whatever, luv, but that's not the point. The Captain, from the ship I sailed in on has been so kind as to lend me a ride to Tortuga. And I'm 'ere to get yah two tah come."  
  
"Why do you need us, Jack?" Will asked.  
  
"Captain." Jack said out of habitat.  
  
Will glared at him and started to repeat his question as Jack searched his mind for a clever answer. "'Captain' Jack, why do you need us?"  
  
"Simple whelp, I need yah to help me sail the ship I 'borrow' from a friend in Tortuga." Jack added, "before yah start making excuses, the two of yah are the only ones I trust to captain with, 'sides from the Pearl's crew."  
  
"There's no one else? I mean Jack, come on we have some important things to take care of here." Elizabeth motioned to little Rebecca snuggled in Will's arms.  
  
"Lass, at least yah know that if yah leave her 'ere she'll be safe with the governor... or bloody Norrington. Me though, I don't know what 'appened to me love. She could be out there sailing 'round lookin' for me, or something bad could've 'appened to 'er." Jack spoke of the Pearl softly. "So please... Lizzy? Whelp?"  
  
Will finally gave in. "How long would it be?"  
  
"Dunno, but at the most... a week." Jack said.  
  
"Elizabeth? What do you say, honey? It's up to you." Will turned to his wife.  
  
Elizabeth's face was clouded with thoughts, "Well, I guess Rebecca would be all right with father." Standing a little straighter, she spun on Jack, and he could see the look of determination on her face. "But you... 'Captain Jack Sparrow' must let me see that leg before anyone goes anywhere; otherwise Will and I won't be going."  
  
Jack sighed and dropped back on the couch. He winced at the bargaining lady above him, knowing full well he couldn't argue with her, not now. "Alright, but make it fast."  
  
"Don't tell me what to do Jack Sparrow!" She raised her hand threateningly and Jack cowered, ducking away.  
  
'Bloody woman' He thought glancing out the window again at the slowly descending sun. 'I'm comin' Ana.'  
  
________________________________________________________________________  
  
Thanks so much for all the reviews (they're were a lot this time). I'm so sorry that it took me so long to get this chapter out, but I have this bug- phobia, and I found a giant cockroach in my room. I refused to go back in for like a week, so that is my excuse. You can bash me about it all you want reviewers but if I see another one I'll probably do the exact same thing. Lol! Anyways, I really hope you liked this chappy, I think it is almost as long as the last! And here an ode to my awesome reviewers:  
  
REVIEWERS YOU ARE THE BEST!!! THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!! : )  
  
LADYTIYE: Thanks a lot for the great review. I'm so glad that you like my story and I hope you had fun reading this chappy too! I'll try to keep writing as soon as possible.  
  
TrappedAndAnnoyed: Yah! Thanks for both of the reviews on this chapter, whether you meant to or not. Lol. I'm so happy you enjoyed that flashback, my slow mind took a long time to come up with it.  
  
lili-lulabye13: Yeah, another new reviewer. I'm so happy that my story happens to be one of your favorites. I hope you like Elizabeth and Will in this chappy, it is one of my first times writing them. I hope I did them some justice!  
  
Charley: Oh Charley, Charley, Charley, once again thank you for the great compliments and reviews, what would I do without you? I'm sorry that this chapter took so long to come out, I'll try my best to update sooner, promise! Hugs and Kisses back to you!  
  
Araminta Ditch: Really nice reviews, you say? Your favorite person? Okay well here is an update, a little slow, but I hope the same quality of work! Thanks for the reviews so far and keep going on you story!  
  
Eccentric Banshee: Yeah a review! A really nice review! You are so cool! lol Thanks so much for all the reviews I keep getting from you. I'm glad you thought the last chappy was beautiful! I hope that this one is as "pretty" as the last. Keep reviewing, please and I promise to add more Ana in the next chappy!  
  
Margo: Another new reviewer! Wow I got a lot of new people this time. I'm so happy that you like it, and I agree with you about Ana being wicked in the movie. Not bad wicked, but wicked cool, wicked! I heard the next pirates movie is scheduled to be out 2005 and I'm hoping for Jack/Ana romance! Lets all pray for that!!  
  
Erica Dawn: I'm hurrying I'm hurrying! Thanks for the review though, it was very nice. I'm glad that I have you on the edge of your seat. And hey we have something in common, a general liking of J/A stories. Well I'll make sure to keep this away from the cliché Mary-Sue kinda ending. I'll try!  
  
PiratePrincess91: Well it seems that Jack is finally gonna get that bullet out of his poor leg, but he doesn't have much time before the sun sets. I'm glad you enjoyed the flashback- I know it is a bit weird that Jack pulled his gun out so quickly but hey that's how I thought he must have been back then. I agree with you that it doesn't seem to be his fault, killing the Bailey's, but poor Jack, doesn't seem to see that. Thanks for the review again and I will try to update as soon as possible. (No need to worry about spelling, I'm the same way, most of the time.)  
  
Kungfuchick: Ah... another review from my faithful kungfuchick. Many thanks once again for the reviews that keep me writing this story!  
  
**If I forgot anyone, give me a holler and I'll be sure to get yah next time. Anyways thanks a bunch for the lovely reviews, they really do help me write this here story. So I hope you had fun reading and please review if you can! By the way, about the changing name thing... well I got bored with the other one, and I think this one is pretty. It's in French, although it doesn't mean something very nice I still thought it was cool. So anyways, I appreciate the reviews so far and don't stop! Cya later! -Rachel 


	10. Betraying and Learning

I'M BACK!! Sorry, I know... 2 and a half months with not one update, that is pretty bad. But I do have an excuse, and you can read it after my chapter. For now though, thanks for sticking with me. Hope you like it!  
  
Enjoy! ((((()))))  
  
Taking Your Chances Betraying and Learning  
  
Captain Bailey, sat mumbling swears to himself for letting the wench have such an easy shot. If it hadn't been for that crewman she could have caused a lot more havoc on board before Sparrow returned.  
  
Speaking of the man, Zachary rose from his position on the floor and hobbled out of the cabin, to check for him.  
  
Reaching above deck, the Captain straightened himself and walked as regularly as possible towards his first mate. He was not going to let his crew know that a woman had bested him.  
  
"Milarri," Zachary spoke to his first mate. "Any signs o' Sparrow or the Turners yet?"  
  
He received no answer, in fact the man didn't even spare him a glance. Waiting as patiently as a pirate captain did, when he'd just been kicked where the sun don't shine, Zachary leaned into his first mate's ear and yelled, "MILARRI!!!! Any signs of them?"  
  
Silently, and still undisturbed, Milarri raised a dirt-covered finger and pointed out towards Port Royal.  
  
Following his gaze and finger, Captain Zachary squinted into the distant to see one of the Betrayal's rowboats, particularly the one he'd lend Jack Sparrow to get ashore, rocking violently, empty, from side to side.  
  
Calling for his spyglass, he quickly grabbed it from one of his crewmates hands, and lifted it to his eye. After a few moments, Zachary realized that indeed the boat was not empty, but carried three people. The three people he needed to complete his revenge.  
  
Grinning wickedly, Captain Bailey broke the silence that reigned on his ship, "Get back tah work, the lot-a ya!" Motioning to a few men, "and ye five, come wit me to greet our new guest."  
  
((((()))))  
  
Onboard the small boat, just off the shore of Port Royal, the three people whom Captain Zachary Bailey had noticed were in a struggle for the oars, or at least two of the were.  
  
"Jack Sparrow, give me that oar back! You're already hurt enough, and I can paddle just fine along with Will!" Elizabeth stood, shaking the boat, but she somehow kept her balance.  
  
"First off, 's Cap'n Jack Sparrow. Second, me bloody leg is hurt, not me arms! And thirdly although, I'm sure ye could keep a fine pace wit yar dear 'usband, missy, ye would just slow us down." Jack said, matter-of-factly, dipping the oar in the water.  
  
"And what is the hurry, Captain Sparrow? My father always said slow and steady wins the race." Elizabeth flopped down once again beside Will, who had been paddling silently, head ducked.  
  
"Aye, but I bet 'e didn't mention anythin' bout slow and steady saving a life, savvy?" Jack snapped before thinking.  
  
"A life?" Will joined the conversation, picking up on Jack's mistake, "What are you talking about Jack?"  
  
Jack burned to tell them the truth, but he wouldn't risk the woman he loved. So he simply handed the oar back to Elizabeth defeated. "Nothin'. Meant nothin'."  
  
When they reached the side of a beautifully carved ship, a rope was dropped and a voice, Jack recognized as Zachary's, called down, "Lady, you first!"  
  
Will helped Elizabeth grip the rope and she was lifted gently into the air and a few grungy looking men helped her over the side railing. Seconds after her feet hit the deck, and unknown to the men below, a hand wrapped itself around her mouth and she felt a dagger pressed against her delicate throat.  
  
Waiting below, Jack and Will watched as the rope was dropped down again along with another. 'Odd,' Will thought, 'Why didn't they do that in the first place?' Shrugging it off, William tied the rope around his hand and looked over at Jack, who also had the rope in his hand.  
  
Jack looked up in time to catch Will's eyes on him, feeling like he owe this man enough to say something, Jack whispered as quietly as he possible could, "'m sorry William Turner, but I had to." And with that himself and Will, who was confused by Jack Sparrow's sincere words were lifted onto the Betrayal.  
  
Before Will had enough time to take in the sight of Elizabeth and the dagger, two burly crewmen grabbed him. "Elizabeth! What's going on here, Jack?" Will turned his fiery eyes on Jack, who was left, untouched, by the railing. "You bastard!" Will screamed, figuring out what must have happened. "What, did your Pearl get kidnapped? So you had to sell something to get it back?" Will spit in his direction, "Are we your trade, CAPTAIN JACK SPARROW?"  
  
"My boy, do calm down!" A man, which Will assumed to be the Captain of this vessel. "From wha' I 'ear of ya, I didn't believe ye to be a rash man."  
  
"Who are you?" Will snarled at the man.  
  
"Ah yes, introductions o' course. I am Cap'n of this 'ere beautiful ship, and me name is..."  
  
"'Is name's Zachary Bailey and your on the Betrayal." Jack's gruff voice broke in. "Now where is she?"  
  
Zachary turned to Jack, obviously flustered about being interrupted, "Men, why not join our good Cap'n 'ere with 'is wench."  
  
Jack didn't have time for another thought, before one of Captain Bailey's men smashed him over the head with a pistol butt.  
  
Elizabeth gasped behind the sweaty man's hand, at the shock of Jack Sparrow sprawled out across the deck. Struggling suddenly, she bit down hard on the man's hand, and was satisfied with the howl she heard follow it. However he still kept a fairly tight grip to the dagger on her throat.  
  
Zachary could sympathize with the crewman's hand, for he had early received such a bite from Anamaria. And as a few men gathered Sparrow's body to put him below in the brig, he sighed aloud and muttered, "Put the others with 'em as well. And make sure that Sparrow and that one," he pointed to Will, "are put in different cells."  
  
As he walked away, a thought occurred to him, he still had no idea where Isla de Muerta was. Twisting his head back the pirate captain called out to his first mate. "Milarri."  
  
"Aye Cap'n?" Milarri rushed towards him.  
  
"Set up the torture room for three, and bring a chair, rope, and... oh, some rum."  
  
Milarri looked at him strangely, but nodded his head and scurried off to do as he was told.  
  
Zachary was still grinning; by the time he reached his cabin, after demanding one of his men tell him when Jack awoke. 'And now,' he thought 'we wait.'  
  
((((()))))  
  
In the brig, Elizabeth was placed, non-too gently, in the largest cell, while Will and Jack's unconscious form where dropped into the other two smaller ones.  
  
Will waited until the nasty men that had brought them had completely ascended the stairs before running towards Elizabeth's cell. Reaching his arms through the bars, he engulfed her in giant, comforting hug.  
  
"What are we going to do?" Elizabeth's eyes were shining with tears.  
  
"I don't know." Will answered truthfully, "I never thought Jack would betray us like this. We were his friends."  
  
"I'm not sure he did, Will." Elizabeth glanced at the captain over her shoulder. "They wouldn't have hit him, if he was on their side, would they?"  
  
"It is odd... but nothing could explain, why he would make up some story to get us to come aboard, Liz."  
  
Elizabeth nodded in agreement, "I'm scared Will. What about Rebecca? Oh, why did we have to leave her?"  
  
"It is much better that we left her. Who knows what they would have done to our baby girl, had she come?" Will replied, still hugging her tightly to his chest across the cold bars.  
  
"Ye don't wanna know." A small voice, barely audible in the silent room came from the dark corner beside them in Elizabeth's cell.  
  
Elizabeth screamed and stumbled away from her husband to the opposite corner of where the voice had come from.  
  
"Whose there?" Will asked, taking a few steps away form the voice as well. "Show your self!"  
  
"'Is me. Anamaria." She cleared her throat and ducked out of the corner she'd been hiding in.  
  
Elizabeth noticed her clutching the back of her head, and went to see if she could help. "What happened Anamaria? Why are you here? Why is Jack here?"  
  
"Too many questions, girl. Me 'ead 'urts enough without all 'em anyways." Anamaria groaned and wobbled on her feet. Elizabeth reached her in time to help her sit down, before she fell over. Looking in her eyes, Elizabeth could see Anamaria's gratitude without her having to say it.  
  
Will, had come back closer, and was leaning against the bars, watching the two women intently. "Anamaria?" He asked.  
  
She glanced up at him and sighed, sure of what he wanted to know. "Look Turner, I don't know everythin' that's been goin' on 'ere."  
  
"Yeah, but you know more than we do." He pleaded. "At least tell us what's wrong with Jack, it's not another curse is it?"  
  
"Jack?" Anamaria twisted around and pushed Elizabeth put of the way, to see the captain lying behind them. "'Es unconscious, no doubt. But aside from that, nothin' is unusual bout Jack, I mean nothin' that wasn't already unusual." Anamaria frowned at her own words, not quite making sense.  
  
"Then why did he trick us aboard this godforsaken ship?" Elizabeth screamed stomping her foot.  
  
"Oh... he, he... Jack did tha' for, for me, I guess." Anamaria shifted uncomfortably under each of the Turner's stares. "It seems, I'm gonna 'ave to s'plain this story to ya after all."  
  
"That would be best." Elizabeth sat down beside her and crossed her arms.  
  
And so Anamaria explained the story to the couple, starting with Delana and ending with Jack having to bring them back before sunset.  
  
"So now, ye understand why Jack 'ad to bring ye 'ere." Anamaria looked at them questionable.  
  
"They oughta. Tha' was pretty good s'plaining, if I do say so myself, Ana."  
  
The three other captives looked on in surprise as Jack Sparrow used his cell's bars to haul himself up.  
  
"Jack! Yer up." Anamaria stood as fast as her body could handle and hobbled towards him. "Are ye alright?" She asked, trying not to sound too concerned.  
  
"'E's fine." Zachary Bailey smirked, standing from his position on the stairs, where he'd been spying for some time. "I 'ave a surprise for all o' ye." And with those words he turned away from them and yelled up the stairs for a few men to join him.  
  
When eight, big, muscular, ugly pirates had come to help Captain Bailey get the four captives out of their cells, he lead the way up a flight of stairs and turned into a small crowded room.  
  
"Tie Sparrow to the chair o'er there," Zachary pointed so that his men knew what he meant, "And the others... chain them to wall."  
  
When all the ropes and shackled had been tied, Jack Sparrow sat with his back to a wall and his hands and feet tied to the chair. On the wall that he faced William Turner and Elizabeth Turner were strung up next to each other. And from chains in the middle of the room, Anamaria hung with her back to the Turners and her eyes were staring deeply into Jack's.  
  
The Captain of the Betrayal had sent his men from the room and was just closing the door when he heard Jack growl, "What is this?"  
  
"Ah, Cap'n Sparrow, welcome to the Torture Room." Zachary replied, and then grinned sardonically when he heard the young Elizabeth whimper.  
  
TBC ((((()))))  
  
Alright, that sucked, I know. But I haven't written the story in a long time (another excuse), so I'm trying to get everything settled again. At first I had no idea where this story was headed, I was just writing it as it came to me. So I had to stop for a while until I could figure a way to fit everything together. And now I have found that way, so no more worries! I still dunno how fast I will update, since I'm going on vacation soon. But I at least know where the story is heading now, and there will only be a few more chapters.  
  
And many thanks and apologies to my reviewers, who have been waiting a hell of a long time for this next chapter. Thanks so much for reviewing anyways!  
  
I'm off to write the next chapter as quickly as possible, okay? Happy now? -Rachel 


	11. Whipping and Suffering

Hello everyone... I'm still here. That wasn't too long of a wait was it now? I realized that I forgot to put a disclaimer in my last chapter, oops. Ah well, here I'll make up for it.  
  
Before I start, let me remind you I don't own any of the characters, settings, and so on in Pirates of the Caribbean, except for the ones I make up...sooner or later. I am not getting paid for this either, it's pure pleasure.  
  
And now I get to add a new thing here! Thank you SO much to my new beta friend- pendragginink. She is the absolute best, and very, very helpful, might I add.   
  
Enjoy! ((((((())))))))  
  
Taking Your Chances  
  
Whipping and Suffering  
  
"Ah, don't ye worry, Mrs. Turner. It'll all be o'er," Zachary swiped a rum bottle off the table as he made his way towards Elizabeth, "Soon as Jack 'ere tells me wha' I wanna know."  
  
With an effort, Jack forced his eyes away from Anamaria's and set them to glare at the other Captain. "Wha' is it ye want? I though' this was all 'bout yer parents."  
  
"Aye, so ye thought." Zachary whispered, with his eyes still locked on Elizabeth's face. Taking a swig from the rum, he brought his calloused hand up to brush back a few strands of her wild hair, taking great care to avoid her mouth. He'd already been bit once tonight, and he saw no reason to be making it two. "Such a pretty little thing..."  
  
"Keep your filthy hands off her, pirate!" Will struggled against the chains.  
  
Captain Bailey shook his head, "Ye say pirate like it's a bad thin', boy."  
  
"Do I?" Will fired back, sarcasm dripping from his voice.  
  
"I resent tha'." Jack, surprisingly, had not lost his humor in the heat of the things.  
  
Will opened his mouth to argue with Jack when Elizabeth cut him off, "Both of you stop this before you start. This is not the time."  
  
"The wench 's right, ya know?" Zachary chuckled at the two men.  
  
"And you think that you're one to talk about right and wrong do you, Captain Bailey?" Elizabeth leaned forward against her chains. "You're crazier than Jack!"  
  
Jack winced when the word 'crazy' flew from her lips, remembering the last time he'd called Zachary mad.  
  
However, instead of smacking her across the face, like Jack had expected, Captain Zachary calmly held the rum bottle above her head and poured the rest of its contents on her. Elizabeth sputtered and Will growled, while Jack looked on in confusion, as to why anyone would waste a bottle of perfectly good rum.  
  
"Ah, don't like rum, do ya missy?" Zachary asked.  
  
Elizabeth didn't answer, but instead shook out the droplets that clung to her hair.  
  
"I guessed as much, from yer time on the island wit ol' Jack. Burnt all his rum did ya?" Captain Bailey turned his back to her and went to grab another bottle of rum from the stash on the table.  
  
"'Ow would ye know tha'?" Jack asked before Elizabeth could.  
  
"I know lot's o' things, Sparrow. And one a them 'appens to be not tah drink yerself into a stupor. Ye tell secrets too easily." Zachary winked at him from his position leaning against the rum table.  
  
Although Jack had no memory of it, he wouldn't doubt that at one time when he was very drunk, he must have told a complete stranger the tale of Elizabeth, the island, and the rum sacrifice. And as it turned out, the stranger must have been Zachary Bailey, either that or one of his crewmen.  
  
"Me dear, ye seem tah be awfully quiet 'anging there. Reminiscing in the ol' days, eh?" Jack cleared his head to see that Zachary was speaking to Anamaria, who hadn't said a word since they'd reached 'The Torture Room'.  
  
Anamaria lifted her head slightly to glare at Zachary out of the corner of her chocolate eye. "'Ow 'bout this? Bring back any memories?" As he spoke the pirate captain reached to the far side of the table and pulled open a wooden box. What lay inside made Jack's stomach turn, a cat o' nine tails, used for whipping slaves.  
  
Anamaria shivered in spite of herself. How she remembered that whip cutting into her skin day after day back when... Suddenly Anamaria's face became livid and her voice cut as deeply as a cutlass. "'Ow did ye know?" She hissed.  
  
"Lass, I've known fer a long time. In fact, since ya met Jack Sparrow, I've known." Zachary snarled at her, uncurling the cat o' nine tails.  
  
"Wha' is bloody goin' on round 'ere? Wha's 'e talkin' bout Ana?" Jack's frustrated voice was heard.  
  
"Didn't yer dear Anamaria tell ya bout 'er days in Port Marque, being a slave?" At Jack's surprised look, Zachary guessed he she hadn't. "By all means then, let me. An' feel free to add anythin' tha' I miss 'long the way, Ana darlin'."  
  
"Bastard!"  
  
Ignoring her comment, Zachary twirled the very tip of the cat o' nine tails around his finger as he began to inform Jack about his wench's old life. "Let's see it 'ad tah be 'bout twelve years 'go. And this one 'ere," He motioned to Anamaria, "was a slave fer the richest and most important man in Port Marque. Not just any slave, though, she was 'is favorite." Zachary smiled suggestively at her. "I can see why o' course, lots a spirit."  
  
Jack growled menacingly at Zachary as he continued with Anamaria's past. "An' so things went fer a few years, till one day, this very 'portant man ends up dead at the hands of his favorite slave. As ye can guess tha' didn't go well wit any o' the people o' Port Marque, so the little slave 'ad to run, stowed 'way on a ship, and from there she ended in Tortuga." Finishing, Zachary pushed off the table and stalked towards Anamaria with the cat o' nine tails in his hands.  
  
Squirming to look behind her, Anamaria demanded to know how he knew about her past, which she thought she had hidden so well.  
  
"'Ow I know... that's where the real story begins." Zachary pondered aloud to himself.  
  
"Then tell it tah us." Jack said quickly, hoping to buy Anamaria some time before he used the whip on her. He could tell from the way that her ankles were shackled to the floor and her wrist were pulled tight by chains stretching to the ceiling that if he did hit her, there was no place to swing around to take less of the blow.  
  
"Do ya think I'm stupid, Sparrow?" Zachary knew Jack was wasting time on purpose, "But a'right, I see no 'arm in tellin' ya. Why don't I tell ya the story, while I let lovely Ana 'ere get 'er taste back for the cat."  
  
Before anyone had time to reply, Zachary swung his arm forward and let the whip snap across Anamaria's back. Although she didn't call out, Jack, who could only see the front of her, saw her eyes fill with pain.  
  
"Where tah start, where tah start?" Captain Bailey rubbed his chin. "Ah, that's right, wit the death of me parents." His face became deadly serious and he pulled back again, letting the whip fly at Anamaria.  
  
Will turned his head from the sight of the cat connecting with her back for the second time. It made him sick to watch her bloody shirt sticking to where she'd just been hit. Elizabeth also had her head turned, and was repeating a silent prayer inside her head over and over again.  
  
"Seventeen years 'go, was it Jack? Seventeen years 'go, ye murdered 'em in cold blood." Zachary nodded his head violently. "Ten years ol'... an' I'm told tha' Jack Sparrow o' the Black Pearl killed me parents." The anger swelled inside Captain Bailey, and once again he took it out on Anamaria with another flick of the wrist.  
  
Jack could hardly see straight, pure rage clouded his vision, but he stayed as calm as possible to hear the rest of the tale.  
  
"An' so I went, from the age o' ten, planning a way to get me revenge. And then it came, when I turned fifteen, I met a fellow by the name o' Hector Barbossa, who could 'elp me fit me plan together perfectly." Zachary could see confusion on Jack's face. "Now I was a very rich lad, considerin' what plunder me parents 'ad left behind, so it was no problem gettin' Barbossa to work fer me."  
  
Jack couldn't believe what the other captain was saying, Barbossa working for Zachary? It didn't seem possible, that a man like Barbossa would take orders from a boy less than half his age.  
  
"But tha' bilge-suckin' dog betrayed me!" Zachary interrupted Jack's reeling mind, "I gave 'em 'alf o' me fortune to bring back me parent's compass that 'eld the way tah Isla de Muerta, and instead, 'e takes it fer 'imself and maroons ya on some godforsaken spit o' land."  
  
Jack rolled his eyes, at the mention of that island again. 'Lord 'ow I 'ate tha' bloody island!'  
  
Zachary still seemed to be wrapped up in his story of the past, "So I waited, fer the same ten years tha' ye did, Sparrow. An' fortunately fer me, no one, not even ye, notice a young boy in Tortuga."  
  
Zachary saw Jack's brow crease as he tried to understand what he'd just been told. "Tha's right, Cap'n," Zachary mocked, "I followed ye ten years an' ye ne'er noticed me once. I know e'erthing 'bout ya, and anyone ye talked tah o'er them years, I knew 'bout 'em too."  
  
Behind her closed eyes, Anamaria was taking in the information like someone who'd been starved for days. 'So tha's 'ow the bastard knew.' She thought. ''E must a found out, when I met Jack fer the first time.' Anamaria remembered meeting Jack a few years after his mutiny. They'd become drinking partners at the Faithful Bride, before he'd stolen her boat, the Jolly Mon, one night.  
  
"Then ye left Tortuga, an' without a boat o' me own, I couldn't follow. So I waited, an' not long after, I 'eard of yer return to cap'ning the Black Pearl. Which could only mean tha' Barbossa was dead, as was me plan I'd made so many years 'go." Zachary's anger returned and he remembered the cat still in his hands. Unexpectedly, he snapped it across Anamaria's back, twice in quick succession.  
  
Anamaria felt the tip of the whip cut through her shirt then her skin, and she couldn't hold it in any longer. She cried out the second time the cat o' nine tails hit her from behind.  
  
Jack struggled against his bindings harder than ever before when he heard her cry aloud. Will also pulled against his chains half-heartedly, knowing it was near to impossible to break them. And Elizabeth appeared to have fainted, although her lips moved slightly, as if she was trying to speak.  
  
Captain Bailey, finally walked out from behind Anamaria and set the cat o' nine tails back in its wooden box. However, he pulled out a small beautifully carved dagger and headed towards Jack.  
  
"Do ya think it has all been coincidences so far, Sparrow?" Zachary asked, coming to a stop in front of the man. "Everythin' tha's 'appened so far has been me."  
  
Jack didn't understand what he was talking about, "Wha' do ye mean everythin' tha's 'appened so far?"  
  
"Let's start wit Colom Brian, should we?" Zachary tapped his chin with the dagger.  
  
Jack groaned silently at how stupid he'd been to forget 'The Giant'. He'd been so caught up with Del and the fact that he'd lost his hat, that it didn't ever occur to him that he'd failed to remember to wait for Colom to drop by with the information he'd requested.  
  
"I assume from yer reaction ye remember our lovely giant. An' everythin' was goin' 'xactly as I planned. Ya saved Ana like ye were supposed tah, then ye beat Colom, an' 'e gave ya the story 'bout bein' paid through letters an' such."  
  
Jack was only half listening because from the moment Captain Bailey had mentioned Colom Brian, he knew how daft he must have been not to notice all the connections.  
  
Zachary continued gloating at his wonderful plan, while he fingered the dagger. "An' then I 'ad me lovely assistant, Delana..."  
  
"Delana? I though' she was yer wife, Bailey." Anamaria asked, painfully lifting her head to glare at him.  
  
"Aye, I guess we were married. No love in it, o' course." He turned to face Anamaria and grinned suggestively. "She was just there fer specific reasons. A marvelous seducer, I migh' add." Spinning around to stare at Jack again, "I told 'er tha' she was 'possed tah get onto the Pearl any way she could. An' don't ye think it's a bit odd now, tha' when ye fell through the ceiling of the inn, she just 'appened to be in the room under ya?"  
  
Jack had already figured it out that she must have been listening to him and Anamaria. If you could fall through the ceiling, Del would not have had a problem hearing through it.  
  
"Everythin' was going perfectly, till ye forgot 'bout Colom Brian and left the 'arbor before he could get a letter to ya. So instead o' getting' ye to come tah me, I 'ad to follow you."  
  
Everyone in the room was silent for a few moments; there was no need for him to explain anymore because they all knew what had happened after that.  
  
"So now..." Zachary approached Jack with a mad glint in his eyes, "I'll be needin' tah know the coordinates fer Isla de Muerta."  
  
Jack stared, confused, at the man only a few inches from him, "Tha's it? Tha's all ye bloody needed this WHOLE BLOODY TIME?"  
  
Zachary didn't answer, but placed the dagger along the base of Jack's throat.  
  
Jack moved his eyes to the Turner's and sighed, "Ye didn't even need to bring 'em into it. I'll tell ye where the Island is." And so Jack let the secret, which had been locked inside his head since his mutiny, out. The coordinates to where Isla de Muerta lay.  
  
Zachary imprinted the directions in his memory and lifted the dagger away from what he thought was a broken pirate. Laughing aloud he turned, set the dagger down, and left the room without another word.  
  
Reaching the top deck, Captain Bailey made his way to the helmsman, who had control of the Betrayal's wheel at the moment. Giving the coordinates to the man, he was delighted to hear that they were no more than a day away from Isla de Muerta.  
  
Milarri, who had just descended the rigging from the crow's nest, rushed to his Captain. "Cap'n Bailey, sir? Wha' should be done wit the prisoners?"  
  
Zachary debated this for a minute before answering, "Leave 'em there tah 'ang fer a day. Check every few hours, tah make sure tha' Sparrow isn't planning anythin'."  
  
Milarri nodded his head and went to carry out the orders.  
  
"Oh, and Milarri... don't give 'em nothin' tah eat o' drink. Let 'em suffer a bit." Zachary said bitterly.  
  
TBC  
  
(((((((())))))))  
  
Wow, that took me two days and I still can't tell if I like it or not. There was so much dialogue in it. Maybe too much, you tell me. Well I'm leaving for vacation at the end of the week, but I'm gonna try really hard to get another chapter up. It all depends on if my brain doesn't crash and burn on the way. Lol.  
  
Thanks a lot reviewers!!!  
  
LeeAna: Aww, you like it? I'm so happy now! I hope I didn't make you wait too long for this one. Thanks a bunchies!!!  
  
kungfuchick: I'm writing, I'm writing. I'll hurry, I promise!! Just keep enjoying them as much as you do!  
  
PiratePrincess91: Well, uh thank you sorta. I'm sorry you didn't like the way it ended (this ones ending isn't much better for our favorite characters is it) so very sorry, just don't hate me.  
  
pendragginink: Look 00 I get to thank you down here too. You are the best!!! All ten reviews put me into a fit of giggles myself. I'm happy that you like a line from each of my chapters, so far. Hopefully, I can keep that going for you. But you get to see the chappys before they even come out, so lucky you. Lol. Well I hope to hear form you soon.  
  
Did I forget anyone? Looks around No? Okay good. Like I already said before, I'm ganna try real hard to get out the next chapter before I have to go away. Okay thanks a bunch for reading (those who did), and please review. It makes me very happy, and people like me when I'm happy. I write faster too wink, wink. -Rachel 


	12. AN

A/N... I'm off to vacation for a bit, so my faithful reviewers must wait a week or so. After I get back, I'll write another chapter fast as I can, savvy?  
  
Oh, btw I have to read that stupid Great Expectations book, by Charles Dickens, and annotate the whole darn thing. Any advice what the best method is to read a book you really don't want to read?  
  
Thanks a bunch!!!  
  
-Rachel 


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